Round and Round
by DreamingOfNeverland
Summary: What do you do when you've accepted death, but then go on living? How do you continue on with this new life that you're forced into? Those are the main questions on Genevieve Masen's mind as she and her brother Edward begin life anew. How do you change with the times when you don't change yourself? Emmett/OC
1. Chapter 1

Do you know how it feels to die? Have you thought about it? It's been something on my mind for a long while as I sat in this makeshift treatment facility. Actually it was more like a death facility because that's what people did here. They didn't get better; they died every day, multiple times a day. Instantly the bed then would be filled by more in the community because the sickness had spread that fast. Only just a couple weeks ago this room had been filled with life, all the individuals carrying out their lives normally including myself. Now this disease was supposedly nearing the end, the doctors and everyone else promised of a cure but I knew that it was too late for me. I knew that deep down I wasn't going to escape this, just as my father hadn't, my bit of training I had taken to become a nurse told me so.

My long bronze colored hair clung to the sides of my face, ratted and soaked with sweat. It was no use to try and clean it or bathe since it would only be an hour at best before it was back to its original state. Rearing up, I let loose another bout of coughing, moving over to my side as my aching body screamed out in pain; every muscle in my body sore from the illness. Immediately my mother was at my side holding me against her and whispering in a soothing voice. My coughing drowned her out mostly as the iron taste of blood filled my mouth, like it had been for the past two days. Quickly the nurses and then Dr. Cullen moved up, telling her to go back to her cot which was on the other side of my younger brother's. She might too, but as I fell back on the cot, the nurses wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth I could see through slatted, hazy vision the she wasn't at all relaxed as she sat looking over the two of us.

Turning my head slightly I could see the shallow but steady rise and fall of my brother's chest along with hear the raspy breaths that matched my own. By far my mother was in better condition than us, or was putting on a show worthy of the movies, and having always been a strong woman I was leaning towards the second option. Unable to think about the welfare of my family anymore I felt the mental and physical drain of the coughing fit taking hold, as it had many times before, and my eyes slipped closed.

When I awoke next it appeared to be about dawn meaning that I had been asleep almost a whole day since I went to sleep late morning yesterday. That wasn't really an abnormal thing though these days. What was abnormal was the fact that I didn't see my mother wiping my brow as she normally was or even Edwards as I looked over to the side. Instead she was in bed and like many, including myself was giving out rasping breaths as a nurse placed a cloth against her forehead, both of them exchanging quiet words, the nurse admonishingly so.

"Edward," I breathed out and he tipped his head over to me locking his green eyes with my identical ones. He looked like he was on the verge, something that I had begun to recognize after being in here. No longer was he that bright, brave boy that was my little brother who wanted to join the army and defend his country. Just one year away and this happened, draining him of this life that he wanted. "Mom?"

"She collapsed last night," He rasped out and my eyes moved to her. All of Dr. Cullen's warning had caught up and the sickness had moved in to take her. Laying back I tried to imagine what life would be like after death. Would there be a life after death? Is it possible? Every fiber of my being wanted to say that there was, I had been taught to all my life through going to church. I had a soul that would guarantee my passage into the everlasting life. But as more people died I found myself wondering if it was true.

"How are you feeling today?" Dr. Stark, the day doctor asked as he walked up from the person on my other side to me, talking from behind his mask. That was the thing that I liked about Dr. Cullen. He didn't treat his patients like the invalids that society had made us out to be. He never wore a mask around us and sat right down on the bed to check up on us, unlike Dr. Stark who did this weird bend in order to stay as far away as possible. Dr. Cullen attended to us all individually while with Dr. Stark I felt like an animal being taken care of before being shoveled off to the slaughter house.

Reaching up, he inserting the thermometer in my mouth while the nurse proceeded to take my blood pressure, then both numbers were recorded and by the looks on their faces I wasn't the prime example of healthy. I had long ago stopped asking what the numbers were; relying on my body to tell me, and it wasn't telling me it was good either.

With little else than a strained smile he moved onto Edward who, like me, didn't get a raspy breath out before he had moved on with the nurse trailing behind. Mistakenly I let out a sigh which forced my lungs to convulse into a cough. The nurse that had been taking my mother's blood pressure rushed over to my side helping me to sit up on my side in order to get rid of the stuff in my lungs. It was one of my worst yet, causing both my mother and Edward to move into slight sitting positions as the fit went uncontrolled, my body convulsing. Finally it ceased, leaving my head pounding and my hand which had been covering the cough, coated in blood. Gasping for air, the nurse lowered me back onto the pillow.

"Mrs. Masen, please stay in bed," I heard Dr. Stark almost beg and looked over.

"I'm fine, Mom," I whispered, unable to do much else with my throat burning from the fit. I heard her movements stop as I strained a close lipped smile over to her and she moved to lay back down, though I doubt for her. It was more for Edward and my benefits, reading us better than any other. It was a skill she had always possessed, the ability to read people and Edward inherited that skill he could probably look at over half the people in the room and tell their life stories. I, on the other hand, didn't seem to get that skill but more my father's ability to persuade a person to give over their last dollar if he wanted it. It was a skill which benefited him immensely in court and me here as I gave a reassuring smile and convinced mother to relax and let Dr. Stark take care of her.

Rolling onto my side I took in a ragged breath and I looked at the rest of my family. Edward, pale and clammy as he drifted off into a fitful sleep; never able to get comfortable enough to go into peaceful dreams. My mother wasn't able to even go to sleep. I had never seen her sleep, whenever I thought she might be and I moved up with a cringe as my muscles protested she would look over in worry. I suspected that she only allowed herself to sleep once she was sure we were both asleep, and then when we both woke with a cough or a startle of some sort her motherly instincts would kick in and she would wake with us.

Kicking into those instincts she looked over to me and gave a soft smile, silently telling me to rest and go to sleep. Taking in a breath I slowly slipped my eyes closed not knowing that those last few moments as she gave me that loving look would be the last few moments I got with her.

When I opened my eyes I saw that the bed beside Edward had been wheeled out the sign that the person had passed on. I wasn't able to do anything as I just stared at the space; I was numb to the effect. I couldn't cry, couldn't feel anything because the dread that I had been feeling in losing her had been spread out over these weeks. I had known that my family wasn't going to make it through this when father died. And as I looked to Edward I knew that he didn't have long before he also would leave me. I had been subconsciously been taking notice of his breathing and as I looked to him sleeping, I heard and saw the shallow, rasping breaths. There was a shine of a cold, feverish sweat on his skin that was soaking through the simple cotton pajamas, and no doubt if I had a stethoscope I could hear the fluid in his lung and rapid beat of his heart, he only had hours left, if that. How I knew this so well is because my aliment was identical and while my breathing might be an increment deeper I wasn't far behind. But the thing is that I would be the last Masen, I would have to live with seeing all my family die in front of me. With that resolute thought my numbness increased and I could only wait for the reaper to come for me.

Just then Dr. Cullen moved in through the doors and only then did I noticed that it was in fact nighttime. Instantly he started towards me, most likely to try and comfort me with my mother's recent death but as I looked to his face I could see that it was pity or sadness but more of a hesitant look. Maybe he didn't know what to say. Coming to my bed he laid his hand on my cheek and I saw this sort of decision being made in his eyes.

"I promised your mother I would save you," He spoke with so much confidence that he could that I believed him instantly.

"Edward first," I rasped out and looked over at my brother. He looked over at the shallow breathing of my seventeen year old brother and nodded.

"I'll be right back for you, pretend to sleep," He whispered and I nodded, trusting that this man would help us. He had no reason to deceive us, no reason to care but he did. I could tell that he had this compassion for all his patients, yet he always cared for us first and I trusted that he would take care of us. He would honor his promise.

I watched as he wheeled the cot out of the room, the doctors and nurses of the other parts of the floor barely glancing towards the pair; not catching the shallow breathing of Edward. So many were wheeled in and out of the room that the glance was more than enough attention to see that another had died, or seemingly so. The thought came to my mind, as I watched the minutes pass by in the constantly ticking clock just in sight of my slated eyes, that he might not come back for me. He had decided just to save Edward and I was perfectly fine with that even as I felt my life draining even more, but then he reappeared and hour later. Just as he had before he made an inconspicuous beeline straight for me and I closed my eyes fully just as he had instructed for me to. I worked to hide the shallow breaths as he started wheeling the cot and it was shockingly easy to do, it was almost as if I was stopping the work I had been putting in all this time. I knew that, that probably wasn't a good sign as I felt that I wasn't so much pretending now, but was truly drifting off.

"Hold on, Genevieve," Dr. Cullen voiced softly as I felt the cot come to a halt and cold hard arms pick me up. "Just a few more minutes, hold on," I heard him almost plead as the wind started to whip around me drying the cold sweat on my skin and hair. It felt almost as if I was flying and I relished in the thought as a wonderful last memory. But then as the wind stopped and I heard a door open and close the sound of muffled screams met my ears and I only got the moment to question why as I was laid on a hard surface before I found out.

I felt something sharp cut into my neck, and pain erupted. My eyes flew open and I took in nothing more than the normal ceiling as the pain began to spread, each time, on my neck and wrists, the sharp cut then the burning first. It was on the fourth time that I found out what it was as I saw the blonde hair of Dr. Cullen move up from my shoulder with blood coating his lips and teeth. He licked over his lips, clearing the blood as an animalistic glint moved over his eyes. Then as he took a step back with a pained look on his face, a look that seemed to match what I felt.

"I'm sorry," he almost cried as he looked me in the eye, and then I felt a lick of fire move over my body the first strong one that took over my body. Involuntarily I let out a blood curdling scream at the feeling of excruciating pain and he quickly reached forward and clamped a hand over my mouth. Not caring at all that he was muffling my screams I only seemed to be able concentrate on the fire in my veins as I gripped onto the side of what felt like a table. Digging my nails into the wood I locked my jaw in place and prepared to ride out this cure that he had for this sickness.

As time passed I began to connect what had been the muffled shouts in the other room to Edward and focused in on him. I heard the ragged breathing of his breaths to the rapid beats of his heart, willing him to get better. I could do little else to distract myself from my own suffering but concentrate on him and the footsteps that moved between our rooms: Dr. Cullen. Though while I could hear Edward's frantic beating heart I couldn't hear Dr. Cullens, all I could hear from him was the footsteps and the deep breaths.

I didn't dare to open my eyes or my mouth afraid of what might happen and so I just waited as the pain increased and then seemed to retreat from my extremities and focus in on my core slowly. Hoping to block out the feeling I focused in on Edward's heart. It was beating so fast that I thought that it might explode and then it just stopped as mine started to do the same. It beat faster and faster as the fire burned hotter and while I thought that Edward's heart might explode, I thought that mine might just turn to dust. Then with a last burst of fire I opened my eyes wide as I let out a muffled scream unable to do anything else. But, just as I felt the rhythm in my chest stop one lone steady beat continued to sound.


	2. Chapter 2

I took in the same surrounding as before but somehow they were different, crisper, cleaner, and more detailed. A weird sort of light filtered in that I had never seen before and it just made everything more so than it had been. Whatever had happened to me had made everything more than it had been. I could hear more: the cars out on the streets along with the soft conversations of people next door and outside. Someone had music playing up the street, a new tune that I had heard played in the hospital wing just days before, but now that I thought about it the sound had been dulled somehow. Now that I listened to it I could pick out every instrument in the band and the notes that were being played something that I had only tried to do before with the music training I had. When I had tried it had taken me months to get out just one instrument and be able to play it by ear and here I could do it in a matter of seconds. The thing that intrigued me most was the sound of a steadily beating heart. I could tell that the thumping was coming from inside the room but as I pivoted my head on the table, looking around what appeared to be a dining room I couldn't see anyone. I could hear other people in the room next door though, a struggle it appeared to be.

"Edward, no!" The familiar voice of Dr. Cullen shouted and I sat up quicker than I ever had in my life, quicker that I thought possible as my hair whipped out behind me. Before I even really thought about getting up I had jumped off the table which I seemed to note in the back of my mind had a lot of very distinct scraps in the fine wood: four deep gashes over and over on either side of where I had been. Quickly, I pulled open the door and it came right off the hinges, flying across the room. In utter shock I just looked at it land with a crash and then looked down at my hands.

Unable to do anything else I just looked at the pale flesh and perfectly shaped nails on them. I had always been a creamy white, the acceptable tone of beauty in society but this was almost on the verge of horror as it had this sort of glow to the white that was unnatural. Then as I focused on the nails I could see wood splinters under the perfectly manicured nails and thought back to the table. Suddenly I was shoved to the ground by a force that I wasn't expecting and it seemed as if an animalistic side that was new and untapped sprung forward.

Letting out a growl, I pushed against the force and heard the crash of the body as it hit the beautiful crystal chandelier above and then crashed down. Sneering, I jumped to my feet and into a protective stance narrowing my eyes until they set on the semi-familiar face of Edward. He jumped to his feet, mimicking my stance and then we both truly set eyes on each other. I saw the white skin first, it was hard to miss and was identical to my own, just like the hair that seemed to hold an even stranger but alluring bronze tint. Then I looked to his features which were more angular and grown looking, taking away from the picture of the boy I knew. Seeking the confirmation that it was him I looked to the eyes, hoping for the emerald green, my emerald green, our mother's emerald green but let out a gasp. My own eyes went wide as I set on the vivid red that they were, bright blood red and backed up in shock. His own eyes grew wide and quickly raised his hand to his face touching just below his eyes as he straightened out of his stance. Flicking his eyes over to me, his got this look of pain on his face, a pain that I just wanted to stop.

"Genevieve?" he whispered questioningly, but it wasn't a question of who I was, but more what was happening. What he was seeking must have been answered as he looked at me. And I knew that he must have found a comfort in me that I hadn't yet found in him as the room went silent all except the same steady beating which was beginning to grow annoying to me. So annoying that I wished it would stop and it did, leaving us in silence as he locked eyes with me once more and he then let out his own shocked gasp. Just then I caught a slight movement to the side and I flicked my eyes over to see none other than Dr. Cullen standing in the open doorway. It was only then that I saw something which I hadn't ever before and that was the glow that his pale skin had to it, just as mine did now. The once handsome doctor was even more so now at I took in every detail of his flawless face, just as Edward was now. His angular features made my once handsome brother even more so and I wondered what the girls of the neighborhood that fawned over him would think now.

Just then he let out a snort of almost laughter looking over at me and I glanced over in confusion along with Dr. Cullen. "What?" I questioned thinking that it was a very weird thing to do at the moment like this. But then his amused looked turned to one of horror and confusion and he closed his eyes and the expression grew. Reaching up he covered his ears.

"Stop," he said quietly.

"Stop what?" I questioned in worry and thoughts of what was happening raced through my mind.

"Talking," he said a little louder, clamping his hands over his ears.

"No one's talking, Edward," I rushed over to him, covering the ten feet between us in less than a second and crouched down beside him. Gripping his chin, I tilted his face up to look at me as I had when we were kids, a trait that I had learned from mother but with my eyes drilling into him he was never able to keep something hidden from me. "Tell me what's wrong," I demanded and instantly his eyes glazed over.

"I can hear voices in my head," He replied in this sort of dull, monotone voice. Quickly I pulled away and his eyes went back to normal. "They're so loud," he cried and I stood, looking to Dr. Cullen. While he wasn't exactly my favorite person at the moment he was the only one that could help and he seemed to get that it was needed. With confusion etched on his face he moved in and focused on Edward. "Yes," Edward said to something with a nod and the confusion turned to astonishment on Dr. Cullen's part. "Ok," He spoke again and I saw the pain on his face slowly start to fade away. Slowly Edward's hands dropped to his sides and he let out a soft sigh, but kept his eyes closed. "They aren't as bad now," he whispered, almost as if afraid to upset a delicate balance.

"If it happens again just focus in on my thoughts and push it to the back of your mind like I told you," Dr. Cullen said and I figured out that he had been feeding Edward thoughts: he had been reading the minds of those around us. Still stooped on the ground he kept his eyes closed as Dr. Cullen stood and looked to me quizzically. I swallowed once and only now noticed the burning pain in the back of my throat, almost as if I had just had once of my coughing fits.

He continued to look at me, but more specifically my eyes and feeling uncomfortable under his stare, even though it had been less than a minute, I spoke. "What?"

"Well it's just that you both are quite unusual even for this life," he whispered, but it was almost to himself.

It was then that the burning question flew out of my mouth, causing Edward to finally look up as well. "What are we?"

oOo

"You're joking," I deadpanned.

"He's not," Edward murmured, I'm guessing from having read his thoughts.

Carlisle, as I learned his first name was, had told us both his story after sitting down in the undamaged sitting room. This had lead up to the realization that we were vampires, "living," "breathing," vampires. We would, from now on, drink blood and live forever unless killed by some force which would tear us apart and burn us. It was a morbid and unsettling thought that we were now defying the thought of the cycle of life by being here.

Forever I would be frozen as a 19 year old woman, right as I was right now. But then there was also the slightly unsettling thought that we couldn't even be normal vampires, we were unusual monsters. Edward could read mind, every mind and he was getting startlingly good at it even in the hour which we had woken up. He had his lapses and I would see him cringe as voices flooded his own mind then it would cease and the questioning, straight face would come back.

Then there was me. I had woken up with a heartbeat, which surprised, confused and I think even maybe annoyed Carlisle because he didn't have a definite answer as to what had happened as he did with Edward. And then there also were my eyes which all hadn't changed as they should have. Both said that when they first saw me my eyes had been the normal emerald green that they had always been, but then once the sound of the heartbeat had stopped they turn to the vivid red which they were supposed to be. There was one thing that Carlisle had been able to pinpoint and that was the demand I had asked of Edward.

"So you're saying that I can compel people to tell me whatever I want by looking in their eyes?" I murmured after he touched on the subject.

"I'm guessing that you can do more than that once you get the hang of it. You also might not even have to look in their eyes," He guessed with a hint of curiosity in his voice.

Already we were freaks in a world of freaks, but Carlisle didn't seem to mind and we had each other. Even with that support though I found myself numb, and unable to properly process what exactly had happened. Edward I could tell just by his demeanor was a little disgusted with what we were; using the word monster with a malice I had never heard him use as Carlisle described the process of feeding. Carlisle seemed to take note of the malice but wasn't hurt by it, his compassion and understanding that I remembered from before, leeching through. But I, well…as I stared down at the grain on the slightly warped wooden floor board—something that would have gone unnoticed by a human—I felt nothing; just as when I saw the empty space where my mother had been around three days ago.

It was as if I had accepted the fact of dying for so long that I couldn't mourn the death of this life that I felt I should've had. I couldn't be happy for living because I truly wasn't. I doubt that I would find a man to love…or vampire…and even if I did I couldn't have the family that every girl dreams of. But I wouldn't have had those anyway because I would have died from the Spanish influenza. I couldn't be bitter over losing a life and I couldn't be happy about living to see another sunset so I was stuck in the middle, just like my life. Never truly living nor dying, just being here to observe. Closing my eyes I silently wished that I could have that life that I had dreamed about for so long. I wanted my life back, to how it was before the stupid epidemic. I wanted the beating heart and emerald green eyes that my husband could see and feel.

Suddenly they were there, or at least the heart was, but as I flipped open my eyes in surprise, I saw the shock increase on Carlisle's face and knew that the eyes were there also.

"How did you do that?" he questioned and I was starting to realize just how curious he was. How he craved this new knowledge and I bet he was like that with everything. Wanting to learn all he could and he still was at over 250 years old, which was a good thing I guess because it meant that even then you could always learn more.

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "I just wanted it to happen and it did, I guess," I said as more than a question as opposed to the answer I had meant it to be. "But…" I furrowed my brows, "now that I think about it before I had wanted the beating to stop and it did."

"What about the eyes?" Edward asked, looking to the color and I could see a wistful look cross his face.

"I don't even know about them half the time. Maybe it's connected?" Again I said it more as a question and Carlisle furrowed his brows along with pursing his lips in thought.

"Maybe it has something to do with the compulsion," he guessed, thoughtfully. "It's interesting though. It will make it easier for you to fit into society.

"I guess," I murmured, still unsure how I felt about being around people now since at any moment I could snap and take someone's life.

"Well, not now of course," he corrected seeming to catch onto the thought even though Edward was the mind reader. "For now, at least for a few months I'll bring you in blood—animal of course—before bringing you out at night to hunt. When you can start to go outside in the late hours with few people around, in about four months we'll move to somewhere more remote. That will give me enough time to put in a resignation and leave without drawing attention."

Both Edward and I agreed with the plan, neither of us wanting to risk a life and then drank our first taste of blood. A small animal with Carlisle had caught and drained in a hurry, not wanting to leave two newborns unattended in a large city alone for a long time. It was delicious but not the most delicious thing that I could imagine. It had an almost bitter taste which Carlisle said was from the animal being a herbivore, but it dulled the burning in the back of my throat.

It was our first steps at being a vampire. Both of us now freaks among freaks, but we had little else for choice now and back when we were human.


	3. Chapter 3

After a couple months of being cooped up in a small city house in Chicago we were able to leave and Carlisle moved us to a small town in the Montana wilderness. Carlisle said that it was to build up a sort of resistance to human blood. To be able to move among those which would be considered food and it wasn't easy at all. When we had been in Chicago we were snuck out at night, floating over the rooftops and keeping above the more concentrated smells. We also were only allowed out one at a time and with Carlisle right behind, he was strict with the rule but we both understood the need for them and followed them without a complaint. When we arrived in Montana, though, it was different and we were let out on our own. It was both liberating and horrific on a scale because while Carlisle was letting us free to be on our own I knew that he had picked this small town because if we did get out of control it would be easy to cover up.

At four months old both of us definitely didn't immediately just rush into the town, especially Edward. His eyes were still an unnatural red, darker than the vivid red they had been but noticeable, so while he had to keep back from people I somewhat tested my boundaries. On cloudy days I would venture into the town and visit Carlisle at his work with the green eye illusion up. The hospital was small, with larger cases being sent out to the hospital in the city about thirty miles to the west so there was never too much temptation and I always steered clear of the emergency section, going through back hallways to get to his office. If was far from easy for both of us but at our year mark, when both our eyes had turned the creamy golden color—same as Carlisle's—we both could walk through town easily able to ignore that burning ache in the back of our throats.

It was then that we moved towards the bigger city of Ashland Wisconsin. It wasn't the big city of Chicago by far but it was far bigger than the little community we had been in for the past eight months. Actually the city was surrounded by communities like the one in Montana. We had gotten a sizeable house on the edges of the town to play the parts of the charming and handsome doctor that had taken in his sisters two children after she and her husband had died. Ashland was our true test, the test to see if we could be put in a school with humans and function in society just as Carlisle did. So we entered into Ashland High School under the names of Edward and Genevieve Cullen as freshman. It wasn't only a new thing to us, because Carlisle, who was only 23 when he was turned, wasn't exactly prime "fathering" age.

He was an excellent mentor though, even if both Edward and I acted as ungrateful teens sometimes Carlisle was always understanding and compassionate; which is why we were beginning to see him as the father figure which we had truly never had. He was more of a brooding, sullen teen while I was just there. I didn't feel the need to be anything other than what I felt like. I remembered myself as being happy before I got sick, I laughed and had friends but right now I didn't do much else but just live. I couldn't remember clearly the last time I laughed full heartedly. We were there in Ashland for a little more than a year, living quietly with Edward always monitoring thoughts to make sure that we were living inconspicuously, well mostly so because everyone seems to notice the extremely attractive new family living there.

Having always gotten good grades in the school we flew through the repeated lessons of school, earning top grades which only received more attention from the kids and teacher in the school. And while the girls and boys alike fawned over us we stuck together and rebuffed the advances of the people brave enough to talk to us. It seemed that even though we blended into the human act the humans seemed to get that we weren't to be approached. Their animal instincts kicked in and as we ignored them for the most part just giving a dazzling smile every now and then to ease their instincts, but they stayed away.

Then one day, after Edward and I had gotten back from school, that's when our lives changed once again. But this time for the better, even if it didn't seem like it in the beginning. Suddenly the back door burst open and we both rushed down from our rooms where Edward had been listening to music and I had been painting—something which I had been doing since I was little and was pushed into lessons. It was something that I then was pushed into classes in private school along with the piano lessons which both Edward and I had been put in.

As we moved into the kitchen we both set eyes on Carlisle who definitely wasn't supposed to be home yet and then a woman in his arms. A weak, barely there heartbeat filled the silence along with the smell of venom in her veins. Bruises, cuts, gashes, wounds of all kinds covered her frail body along with limp and misshapen limbs. Something far more than a bite had happened to her.

"Carlisle, what happened?" I whispered looked over the broken body with wide eyes. She wasn't even making a sound to the pain that I knew she must have been going through. In fact if I couldn't hear the weak pounding in her chest I would say that she was dead.

"I'll explain later, we need to get her to a bed," He rushed past us and up to the spare bedroom. We followed right behind, watching as he laid her on the bed—that was just mostly for show, and a sense of normality—and then quickly swooped down and I watched as he bared his teeth. I couldn't see, but I knew that he was biting her, forcing even more venom into her dying system.

"Carlisle?" Edward questioned as he stood back up and we looked to this woman who evidentially was somehow important to our father. He watched people die regularly at the hospital, but just like us he felt some reason to save her. "Is she going to make it?"

"I don't know," He answered honestly as he stepped back to stand beside us.

We stood there in silence for a long moment, all three of us listening intently to the heartbeat and smelling the venom then the smell of blood started to fade and venom spread. Her heart suddenly picked up and she showed the first signs of life. Letting out a loud groan she flicked open her eyes wide the only movement that she could make from her multiple broken bones. Her eyes flipped towards us, scanning over our faces quickly, but settling on Carlisle.

"She recognized you," Edward murmured in confusion just before her heart sent out another beat and then the fire raged prompting her to close her eyes and let out another groan of pain.

"She broke her leg when she was sixteen, I was a doctor in Columbus Ohio at the time. I took care of her. She was so full of life then, she broke it while climbing a tree and now…" He trailed off sadly. "She came in from Fuller," he said, talking about one of the smaller communities on the outskirts of Ashland. "She jumped off a cliff and they just took her down to the morgue, having already pronounced her dead on arrival. I couldn't get the image of the lively sixteen year old out of my head…I had to do something," he frowned. "I'm sorry," he looked over at us and both of us gave a small smile to him.

"It will be good to have another lady in the house," I nodded and looked to her as Edward nodded.

Carlisle had called in sick for Edward and me the next day while he had to make an appearance at work and put in his letter of resignation, stating that he had gotten a better offer elsewhere. I couldn't say that I was displeased with the idea of moving since school was beyond boring and the city wasn't much better. Again we would go to a small town in order for Esme to adjust to the lifestyle and that would give not only more space to run, but also better and bigger game for us to eat. Throughout the first day you could hear the pops from her bones as the venom healed them, and her groans, grunts, and occasional screams making me glad that we had a home that was far enough away from other people that they wouldn't hear.

At the moment Edward was sitting up there with her, ready to explain or do something if she were to open her eyes. I sat back on the couch in the sitting room still listening to the sounds up stairs while playing with one of the two necklaces I usually wore. One was a gold necklace with one simple pearl in the center with two doves on either side, almost as if the doves were holding it there. It was one of my mother's many pieces along with the simple gold ring that I wore on my middle finger with six garnet stones surrounding a single diamond in the middle resembling a flower, along with the gold, pearl and turquoise dragonfly hairpin that I had in. Both Edward and I had collected a lot of things from our home and while I had most of the jewelry I forced Edward to take some of his favorites to tuck in a drawer to remember her. That included the diamond heart bracelet and her engagement ring which I had never particularly favored, but he seemed to like. In fact I had many memories where he would be playing with the diamond heart when he was little.

The other necklace was my Cullen crest which Carlisle had presented Edward and I with about three months after we had moved to Montana. Edward had gotten a leather cuff while I got a necklace and Carlisle had his ring, which all of us always wore. The necklace was a locket which came down below my other necklace slightly, hitting just a little below mid-chest and was only about an inch wide and half and inch long. I had put one picture in the locket and that was of a memory of happier times with my family picture.

I wasn't sure how long I spent twisting the locket but before I knew it Carlisle was home. "Good evening," He smiled while putting away his briefcase and the coat he didn't need, even if it was snowing outside.

"Hello," I smiled slightly as I stood up. "Everything settled?" I questioned as I heard Edward shift upstairs and start down to us.

"Yeah, we're ready to go in a week," he nodded as Edward appeared. The week was plenty of time seeing as how I alone could have our things packed in a day. "How's she doing?"

"All her external and most of her internal wounds are healed," Edward informed as I nodded in agreement.

"Soon," He said in almost a foreboding fashion as he looked over us then started up the stairs. He was telling the truth too when he said soon because within hours both Edward and I heard the last loud pop from downstairs along with a loud scream. Her severely damaged spine had healed and now she was feeling the pain throughout her whole body.

"Just a little bit longer, Esme," I heard Carlisle speak and I'm guessing that she had opened her eyes to look at him like she had many times before. It was hard to say for sure, but it was almost certain that the two had this sort of connection. It was easy to see in her eyes and how she would search for him in the room when she did momentarily open her pained eyes that she felt something deep for him.

More time passed and then the tell-tale sign that it was about to all end came. I could remember it vividly the racing of the heart and concentration of fire. All of us converged in the room waiting for it to end, Carlisle standing right beside the bed which Edward and I stood against the wall behind him. Letting out a shriek of pain, that now that you could truly see her features contradicted her almost caring look, she arched her back off the bed and then collapsed as everything stopped. Without a trace of pain on her angelic face you could truly work out her new look from her flowing caramel colored hair to her almost rounded features. While she looked extremely beautiful it was almost a different beauty that I saw in the three of us, especially me. I had almost expected her face to become more angular like mine had, making my cheekbones pop, and body look sort of willowy and graceful with curves. But Esme held true to this caring look with rounded features and a full figured, curvy body and as I thought about it, it probably because of her being recently pregnant when she was turned. It was a new thing to contemplate, the idea of what a person would look like compared to their human to vampire form.

Suddenly as her eyes set on us that primal, animal instinct kicked in just as it had with Edward and I, almost leading to us fighting. In a reaction that she probably wasn't expecting to happen, and went totally against her look she bared her teeth at us with a growl. Scrambling back she moved to the other side of the bed, crouching behind it. Her eyes moved over all of us them she almost shifted into a more human demeanor as she got to Carlisle.

"Dr. Cullen," She whispered almost in relief but stayed in the defensive stance.

"Hello, again Esme," He gave a grateful smile that she was already starting to come back to her senses. "My name in Carlisle, and these are my adoptive children Edward and Genevieve," he gestured to us. Both of us gave polite smiles, me because I was unable to figure out what else to do and Edward just his normal, somewhat stiff self. Quickly he elbowed me in the side having caught the thought and I just shrug because it was true.

"How do you feel?" Carlisle asked her. She paused and slowly stood up to her full height, making her a little shorter than my 5'8, as her eyes flitted around the room but again settled on the man in front of her.

"Where am I?" She asked distractedly, not answering the earlier question. "Is this heaven?" She gasped slightly.

"No, you are still in Ashland," He answered and she looked at him in confusion.

"But, things don't normally look like this," She frowned.

"They will from now on," He said almost regretfully and then he started in on the story of what we were, and now she was. Suddenly Edward left the room with little warning as Carlisle got to the part about how we differ from other vampires. Confused by it I looked out the door before looking back towards Carlisle and Esme. She seemed to be taking in the information well, with a calm face and somewhat even demeanor as she stood completely still on the opposite side of the bed from Carlisle. Suddenly the smell of fresh blood hit my senses and I realized what Edward had gone to do and that was to go get something for her to drink. She must have been thinking about the burning in the back of her throat and while deer wasn't the prime first meal it was better than nothing.

"What is that?" She questioned as Carlisle stopped as she looked towards the window that looked out onto the backyard.

"Go and find out," Carlisle nodded and in a flash she was off the animal instincts kicking in once more as she rushed around the house and into the backyard with us right behind. Messily, her teeth cut into the neck of the paralyzed deer and she started drinking. "Genevieve, would you get some clothes set out?" Carlisle turned to me.

"Of course," I nodded, watching as she dripped blood over her already soiled clothing from when Carlisle had brought her in. I had considered changing her but thought that not only might moving her hurt her more but also would be a severe invasion of privacy of this woman I hadn't ever met before. So as she moved onto the second large deer I turned and headed up to my room. Looking through the selection of dresses I pulled one oout that I knew would fit and thought that she might like, based on the dress she had on right now. It was a simple dropped waist dress with long sleeves that slightly flared out on the ends in a dark blue color. Around the hips there was a bright white sash that cinched it in slightly then at the neck was a matching white thin ribbon that tied in a bow.

Grabbing some undergarments that I thought would fit along with stockings and shoes I placed them in her room, on the rocking chair in the corner. Then I set to work on the white floral sheets that were on the bed, but were now stained with dried blood and dirt. Racing out into the living room I struck up a fire not risking the smell of blood that was on them. I tossed them in and then raced back up in the matter of moments pulling the extra sheets from the hall closet which were a pale green and white striped pattern which didn't match as well with the girly décor of the room but they were the only spare set.

I heard them start to come back up the stairs, talking quietly about what was going to happen now and then appeared in the door.

"I set out some clothes for you, if you don't like them then I can try to find something else," I voiced softly and pointed to the outfit.

"Oh, no anything is fine," She gave a smile that showed her true caring, loving nature even with blood on clothing, hair knotted and dirt coating her body.

"Well a bathroom is through there," I pointed to bathroom which had been solely mine while Edward and Carlisle shared one. "You can use whatever you want and if you need anything else just ask."

"Or think it?" She smiled to Edward and he smiled and nodded.

"Yes," He agreed in a less curt voice than he usually used with people other than Carlisle and I, showing that he already saw her as part of the family at least a bit, just as I was.

"Well thank you all," She nodded and once again looked to Carlisle in a look that almost verged on loving and he not really surprisingly, but confusingly to me gave her almost an identical look back. Catching onto either the look or my thoughts glanced over to me secretively.

"We're glad to have you," Edward spoke sincerely, glad for whatever this bond with Carlisle was, just as I was.


	4. Chapter 4

Ten years passed. Two years in the woods of northern California where Esme adjusted to the life of a vampire, with only a few slip up's as all of us but Carlisle had, had. She accepted pretty easily this life that has been thrust upon her, but you could still tell that she wanted the child that she had lost. Sometimes when we would walk past a family I would see her look to the child with only want in her eyes. It made sense too, that she would do that. It fit her personality to a 't,' she was always so loving to all of us. She would have been a great mother and when the time came, that she and Carlisle finally gave into their developing feelings, she was already a mother figure to Edward and I. In fact she never had truly been the sister figure that she had started out to be.

After two years in the woods we moved up into Canada, first towards Alberta. There we played the part of a family once again. With the newlywed couple that took in two orphans and there we went to school just like we had in Ashland. We fell into a very set schedule of Esme being the apt housewife and she filled her time with studying art. It was something that she hadn't ever done before but one day when I was painting out a new landscape of the forest we lived in she seemed to find something to do as well. Though opposed to my painting she was better at sketching. Carlisle went to work at the local hospital, and Edward and I went to school as freshman; always the same as it had been and learning the same things. Most of the time I was able to get the homework done in the time during lunch when we would sit at a far table, picking at the unappealing food or within the first 15 minutes at home.

It was then that I moved onto learning more things, already I had lessons in Latin from the private school that I had gone to in my human life, so I moved through that with ease in the two years in California when we didn't have to go to school. Then in Red Deer I moved onto French same as Edward, along with bonding over art with Esme and even medicine with Carlisle tapping into the nursing that I had been interested in, in my human life also. Over all I spent my time cramming my head with a lot of information because my mind didn't tire. I didn't have to rest, with my mind just soaking up all this information as soon as I read it. It was impossible to forget, which meant that when I graduated with Edward from the school four years later I was fluent in French and moving onto Spanish.

But, I was bored beyond belief, both Edward and I were. Edward was more annoyed than bored though. He was aggravated I think that Carlisle now had Esme and I probably would have been to, but I just didn't care about anything as usual. He was like a bratty child and I was just a ghost, I guess. I did nothing but study, feed and follow the set schedule—I didn't even paint that much anymore—while Edward did nothing but follow the set schedule then go into his room and listen to music. When Esme had first come he had been better, playing the piano and even composing a small piece in the time of the two years but progressively he had started to drift back into his room. Then one day he was just announced that he was leaving as we packed up to move. It was starting to get noticeable that none of us were changing and four years is plenty of time to stay in one place without suspicion.

"I need to get out on my own, learn on my own about this life," He explained as Esme looked at him with only pain in her eyes. Carlisle seemed to understand, he had always said that we could leave whenever we wanted, but he would like for us to keep in touch and Edward promised to. I on the other hand had already decided to go onto university sticking to the human track. So while Edward moved to explore his vampire side I dove into my studies even more, going into Medicine at the University of Ottawa, a position which I had to fight for. I would have had to fight for a place in the University to begin with, since it was a male dominated place, and I didn't want to use my compelling gifts. I wanted to earn that place rightfully and in the end my fluency in both Latin and French along with the beginnings of Spanish provided the information that they couldn't refuse. Same as my top grades and honors in the high school, plus if I did this instead of Art I would be able to help Carlisle with keeping up to date on his career. So, for four years I studied among the men, getting looked down on but pulling ahead of the class even if I was holding back, purposely getting some things wrong as not to get unwanted attention as Carlisle had instructed.

Four years passed with some word from Edward, and I never asked what he was doing, even if it I had an idea. I also stayed in contact with Esme and Carlisle of course who were in Quebec and visited often, just able to run to them in a few hours. When I graduated with a bachelor's in medicine all were there, Edward having come back a few months earlier with a dark red tint to his irises, but still we didn't discuss it. I figured that he had talked about it with Carlisle since they were closer than they had been in the past three years, but I figured that if he wanted to talk to me about it he would.

It was then as a family once again we moved to Rochester, New York. When we first arrived that was like all the other towns and cities, rumors started spreading of our attractiveness and the fact that we had one of the best houses in the entire city. And there were the obvious rumors of our family situation, two young parents with teenagers that were going into their sophomore year in high school—something that we had begged Carlisle and Esme to allow as opposed to freshman.

We moved into the Monroe Junior Senior High School together, having been dropped off by Carlisle I was dressed in my normal fashion—which was the top fashion of the time—with pale pink and white print floral dress with short flouncy sleeves and went down to just below my knee. The dress itself was sheer but I had on a white sleeveless dress under that was in exactly the same style with a matching thin pale pink sash over around my waist to cinch it in. Then I also had my normal two necklaces and favorite dragonfly hair pin when was stuck into the side of my styled bronze colored hair.

"More school and more stares," Edward spoke too quietly for all of them to hear as we walked in, my white sensible heels clicking against the hard tiled floor. I pursed my lips and nodded while eyeing those that were staring with my own green eyes. Both of us moved through the hall, people moving to the side as we passed and headed into the office where a middle aged woman sat. As she looked up to us it didn't even take a moment for the smirk to appear on Edward's lips, meaning that she was probably thinking inappropriate thoughts about him.

"Hello," I chimed out while giving a charming smile. "We're new here, I believe that our father called…Edward and Genevieve Cullen?"

"Oh yes," She coughed out, pulling back from staring at Edward. "I have your things right here," She reached over and grabbed two manila folders and quickly flipped through them before handing us each the assigned one. "In there you'll find your schedules, locker numbers, along with a map of the school and list of extracurriculars."

"Thank you," Edward dazzled her with a charming smile and we both moved out the doors while flipping open the folders as we walked down the hall. I simply scanned over the map, memorizing it in an instant along with the schedule: French, English, Algebra 2, Gym, Biology, and Government, with Lunch between Gym and Biology.

"What do you have?" I questioned and he passed over his schedule which had almost the same classes with the exception of Spanish, but we only shared biology and government.

"Oh," Edward suddenly paused, with a bit of amusement, from looking over the papers and looked up towards the end of the hall.

"What?" I murmured and followed his eye line to the end of the hall where a group of people stood talking, or at least they had been talking. Now, like most of the students they were looking at us. But there was one person that didn't have the slightly shocked, amazed, or dazzled expression. Instead this girl that had to be one of the most beautiful people in all of Rochester had something very different. Her eyes held this look of hate but she kept a small smile on her lips, no doubt having been brought up to hide her emotions—just as I had been by my father. She was beautiful enough to be movie star and you could see that she knew that and thrived in the attention it got her, so seeing us was no doubt something that wasn't appealing to her.

"You are correct," Edward noted with small amusement having heard my internal assessment. "Those thoughts aren't kind," He gave a small chuckle having already changed so much from how I remembered before going out on his own. At both the thought of him changing and how this girl was so affected by us I let out my own smirk.

"Let's go to our classes," I offered, "I don't want a seat up front."

"Right," he nodded, understanding and agreeing with my thoughts.

oOo

I smelled the blood before anything, then Carlisle's rushing steps were the second. How I knew that it was him was because they were moving far too fast for a human and right for our house on the outskirts of town. I was downstairs when he rushed into the front living room with none other than Rosalie Hale in his arms. She had his long trench over her body and at first glance I thought it was to shield her from the cold. But then as I really looked over from the brusied and bloodied face and just caught the edge of her ripped and blood stained dress, I knew that it was more. He cautioned a look to me but I just stepped back from the stairs allowing him to race up.

"Put her in my room," I voiced, thinking that when she did wake up it might be something that she was used to. I moved after him, a little glad that Edward and Esme were out hunting because I'm not sure Esme would have been able to stand the fresh blood coming out of the cuts and Edward was going to be pissed.

"If you can't handle it…" Carlisle rushed out as he rushed in.

"I'm fine," I voiced and rushed forward to help, pulling down the covers before he laid her down. Immediately he got to work, biting her neck, wrists and ankles and the scream was the first sign of actual life she gave other than her shallow breathing and weakening heartbeat. Then her eyes opened and looked around lazily, all that she could do and I saw her connect with me as I attempted to push back her hair.

"Please kill me," She begged, looking right in my eyes and quickly I stepped back in shock. She must have sensed that I wouldn't and looked back over to Carlisle who had a pained look. Again she repeated the plea and I moved for the door as he started to apologize. Patiently I waited out downstairs, watching the snow fall without sticking, then pass over as Carlisle stayed with her, holding her hand and telling her what was happening. But still I couldn't seem to get my thoughts straight even though I could smell the venom taking over. Started up to the room I peeked in to see Carlisle just sitting there as she laid in the bed, eyes clamped shut but all of her cuts and bruises were gone. Her blonde hair was silky and golden, and overall her beauty that she had in her human life was magnified. Looking over I guessed that Carlisle was finally ready to start explaining because he got up and walked out in the hall with me.

"Wh-Why?" I stuttered out unsure at how to start this conversation.

"They just left her out there on the street to die," he gestured back to the girl in the room. "Royce King, did this with a bunch of his drunk friends." It's horrible to think but from what Edward had picked up it wasn't a real surprise I mean the man was horrible in his own mind and he wasn't really that much of a catch outwardly either. She was going to be a trophy wife and even shallow Rosalie Hale couldn't have wanted that kind of life.

I looked back to the room warring with the idea that this was stupid, but also that he was right. Just then the back door smashed open, no doubt Edward and he paused his footsteps as Esme moved up behind him and then both raced up the stairs, possibly thinking the worse but instead found Rosalie Hale joining the family. After they went in to look for themselves, we all moved back out into the hall.

"What were you thinking, Carlisle?" Edward started in, just as I knew he would. "Rosalie Hale?" he pointed out a very valid point.

"I couldn't just let her die," He said quietly, and I think just a little ashamed by doing this again, after Esme. I mean both of them had been talking about trying to get people for us, when they thought we weren't listening, but I didn't expect for him just to bring home another person, especially her, Royce King's fiancée. "It was too much—too horrible, too much to waste."

"I know," Edward sighed, seeing the whole thing relayed through his thoughts.

"It was too much waste. I couldn't leave her," He repeated sadly.

"Of course you couldn't," Esme agreed softly, taking his hand.

"People die all the time," Edward drilled in harshly. "Don't you think she's just a little recognizable, though? The Kings will have to put up a huge search—not that anyone suspects the fiend," He growled. "What are we going to do with her?" he said in exasperation.

"That's up to her, of course," He sighed. "She may want to go her own way."

"But if she does stay then we'll do what we always do," I reasoned with a shrug and then scoffed slightly. "It's not like you love it here." He narrowed his eyes, but knew I was right and shut his mouth more for Esme's sake, knowing that further arguing would hurt her.

The seventeen hours passed with a grumpy Edward (what's new there) and the rest of us waiting for her heart to stop. When it did, Carlisle once again explained what we, and now she was. You could see her processing it, subconsciously touching her throat and when she looked in the mirror gasping slightly at the eyes. But she didn't seem to hate her reflection, in fact she loved it, you could tell as she smoothed a hand over her hair. I could see the pain behind her eyes. It was almost like Esme's when Carlisle said she was frozen at this stage in her life. There was no chance of children, except for Esme's way of adopting. That truly pained her more than everything.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I've gotten a couple things about if Rosalie was going to be in this with the whole Emmett/OC thing and while you've figured out that she obviously is I tried to come up with a compromise in my warring sides. I love the character of Rosalie, I know that some hate her but I never have. Then on the other hand I love writing for Emmett and a OC so I compromised and I hope you all like my compromise. :)_

* * *

"Why are we going all the way down here?" Rosalie voiced as we raced through the Tennessee wilderness, edging around all the towns.

"Because there's been a couple bear sighting near Clingmans Dome, and you need to take out some frustrations by running," I voiced as I leapt over a small river. Plus rooting out the bears might be a good thing since they were late for hibernation and would probably be very feisty, allowing her to take part in a fight.

"Well Edward is making me mad with his snickering. I mean they're my thoughts, he shouldn't be aloud to snicker about them." She huffed, and if she had been standing still she would no doubt be popping her hip out and crossing her arms.

"Yeah, you're only two years in, try 15 and then 18 human ones before that," I smirked.

"Something to look forward to," She muttered softly, with a regrettable tone but I knew that she didn't truly mean it.

Truthfully, deep, deep down I think she loved him—as a brother of course much to Esme and Carlisle irritation—but she was just very good at hiding it and that was the only person she didn't really get along with. After getting her revenge on the five men, very dramatically from Royce we had moved to a small cabin near Pineville, Kentucky, where we were still living. Though, I didn't really see why. She had excellent control, even when killing the five men she hadn't spilt a drop of blood so as not to feed off them. In ways I could relate to Rosalie. We both were reserved, numb in a way to our style of living. She hated it more than I did though, but she never blamed Carlisle for turning her. Never did she resent him for it as she saw that he was only trying to save her, even if she didn't want to be saved.

As we got in the in the newly established national park we slowed down a little more and began to hunt, feeding off the animals we saw along the way and after a hour we turned to head back when I caught the smell of something. Instantly I pulled to a stop and held out my hand to Rosalie, telling her to stop.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"Human blood," I murmured, trying to silence the monster inside that made the fire in my throat rage. "A lot of it," I whispered and looked over to see her take a deep breath and lick over her lips, but didn't lunge or anything.

"Well, we've got to see what it is," She reasoned, voicing what I was thinking. Slowly, we pushed into a cautioned run and the smell got heavier and heavier until we moved right up beside a man that was breathing shallowly. He had several long gashes across his back and a large bite in his shoulder. Cautiously took a breath into my shoulder, hoping to filter out some of the smell then stooped down, flipping him over carefully. With a scream he flipped open his brown eyes and looked right up at Rosalie who wasn't daring to take a breath, but as I looked up at her I saw something in her eyes that I never had: hope.

Quickly, she reached down and grabbed my arm, running a good thirty feet away. "We have to save him," She actually pleaded outright.

"What?" I asked incredulously.

"I have to save him," she begged and she looked into my eyes, and I think that if she could have she would have been crying. "I've never asked for anything from this family, but I need to save him."

"Why?"

"He reminds me of Vera's son," She whispered and I knew the story of her friend's smiling baby boy well. I didn't get what she planned on this man being, because he was certainly a man at, at least 6' 2 and muscular. He had to be at least 18. But if he made Rosalie feel like this, I could deny her that.

"Of course," I relented just as there was another scream of pain with a roar of a bear, but from another direction than the man. That man wasn't going to live for much longer so we couldn't waste time, but I couldn't just leave another person in pain. "Take him to Carlisle," I ordered and she nodded as we started walking away from each other. "You have to hurry, and don't breath."

"I won't," She flipped around and raced towards the man as I ran towards the other scream. Rushing around I moved up towards the next smell of blood, but this one was much worst and as I moved into the area I saw the largest male black bear I had probably ever heard tearing into someone in the tall grass. Without halting I let out a vicious snarl, getting its attention then pushed into a hard run. I just got a look at the blood soaked man as I leapt over him and took down the grizzly. Messily I ripped into its neck with my teeth while it was fighting and rolled over, pinning it down as I drained it quickly, to do the human race a gift by killing the man eating bear.

Racing back over I saw that this one had to be related to the other by the dark curly hair and dimples that showed as he grimaced, but he was larger at probably 6'5 and, well, more muscular. Stooping down I quickly pushed the medical training I had into gear and checked over his injuries which were much larger than his friends. Quickly I tucked my hair back, smearing blood across my forehead and pulled off my belt, wrapping it around his ripped up, and gnawed on arm. Without the restraint of possibly hurting him I whipped it tighter around his bicep and suddenly his eyes shot open with a shout and I saw the key difference in them and that was crystal clear blue eyes. They weren't hazy, as someone who was dying should have been as they focused in on me and stayed on me. And it was then that I understood what Rosalie felt as I felt hope for the first time in fifteen years. Hope at something more in this life.

"I'm sorry," I whispered and with ease lifted him up, a sight that would have been comical if it were different circumstances; a small woman lifting this man much larger than her, and cradling him like a baby. I cautioned a few breaths as I traversed over the terrain, to make sure that Rosalie was going the same way and each time I smelled her fresh trail. Finally after running as hard as I ever had for an hour and a half I rushed in.

Already I could hear shouts from upstairs in Rosalie's room along with Carlisle's and Esme's voice and moved in just as Edward rushed into the room. I saw the anger in his eyes but as I looked up at him and felt this man's heart getting weaker I felt as if I were going to cry.

"Please," I pleaded as the thought of losing my hope started to fade. Immediately he lunged forward and did something that I never would have expected he rushed around into the dining room and just pushed everything off. Moving in behind him I laid the man down on the table and I noticed that I didn't feel his heartbeat. "No," I shouted and then just lunged for it and grabbed his wrist of the arm I hadn't put a tourniquet around, sinking my teeth into the flesh.

"Genevieve!" Edward shouted as the monster reared and I started drinking, but I knew with every second that my teeth were in him more venom was going in. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist and pulled hard. With a snarl I broke away, but quickly came back to my senses as he pinned me to the floor and I heard Carlisle come in. Pausing, I listened intently and not one but two weak beating hearts. Letting out a sigh of relief I went limp in the floor. Shaking his head, Edward rolled off to my other side as Carlisle started moving round him and I'm not sure what he did exactly, along with biting him but once venom was coursing through his veins he injected something else.

"Morphine," Edward answered my unasked question.

"Will that work?" I asked, sitting up.

"I'm hoping it will. We gave some to the other too," Carlisle said it with a small smile as the man let out a groan of pain. Quickly, I stood up and looked down at him to see that Carlisle had removed the belt from his arm and bandaged him, to keep in as much blood as possible before the venom kicked in. But I didn't focus for too long on his wounds as I saw his eyes open and look around. Moving up to his side I thought about Rosalie and how she didn't want to be turned. Had I made that mistake, would he hate me for doing this?

"You're his bloodied angel," Edward spoke softly from the door, which Carlisle had already gone out.

"What?" I questioned, looking over.

"That's how he's thinking of you," He nodded to the man. "He's afraid you're hurt." Looking down I saw my clothes were completely covered in blood, and I knew I had some on my face.

"Will you bring me some clothes?" I asked Edward.

"Yeah," He answered. "Rosalie's isn't much better upstairs. It's going to be a fantastic day for thoughts," He muttered sarcastically and I let out a small smile as I looked back to my Hope as he looked right back at me. Tentatively I reached forward and took his hand and gripped on. He let out another groan of pain, but grabbed on.

"I'm sorry," I whispered.

"A-are y," He attempted to speak through the pain and I held firm to his hand and he clamped his eyes shut and gritted his teeth.

"I'm fine," I spoke, sensing that it probably had something to do with what Edward said. "Don't strain yourself," I tried to comfort and surprisingly he let out a choked chuckle as Edward moved back into the room with a filmy very light blue and white polka dot, summer dress. It wasn't at all appropriated for the beginning of winter and in a cabin in the woods, with its short butterfly sleeves and coming down a couple inches below the knee.

"I just grabbed the first thing," He shrugged and I pursed my lips but took the hanger with my bloodied hand. Pulling at my other hand I tried to step back but her held firm.

"I'll be right back," I assured as he looked to me. "I just need to change." Slowly his grip released as I looked to Edward and he nodded to my silently asked request to stay with him. Quickly I zipped into the downstairs bathroom and I'm surprised that he didn't shy away from me based on my looks. My styled hair was messed up and even had a few leaves in it, and I had smudge of blood along with dirt on my face, while my clothes were completely ruined by blood. I contemplated taking a shower but that was to long, so instead I just quickly grabbed a wash cloth and stripped out of my clothes, scrubbing away the red before throwing on the dress and dragging a brush through my hair.

Now, more presentable, I grabbed the clothes and got a bag out of the kitchen tying them up in it and then just dropping it outside the back door. Grabbing a throw pillow off the couch I padded barefoot, with my hair swept over to the side into the dining room. Instantly his eyes found me once more and I gave a small smile as I moved up beside him and gently moved the pillow under his head.

"He definitely likes you better," Edward noted, "kept wondering if you were really going to come back."

"That's because you're a grumpy old man," I voiced. "You act older than Carlisle sometimes and that's a feat."

"I do not," He huffed to which I raised an eyebrow.

"Maybe if you smiled every once in a while," I noted as I moved to the man's side and took his hand.

"His name is Emmett," Edward noted and his eyes flipped to Edward and I'm guessing he hadn't told him. "And I do smile."

"No, the best you do around others is that fake smile, or smirk," I noted softly as I sat down in one of the chairs.

"Well evidently you and Rosalie use up all my smiles," He spoke while giving that fake smile and I gave an equally fake one back causing him to roll his eyes. "I'll be out in the living room," he sighed and headed for the door.

"Edward," I called and he looked back at me. "Thank you…for helping, and pulling me away" I said sincerely, the little tiff forgotten.

"No need," He shrugged it off and gave a very true soft smile before exiting. Licking my lips and the thought of the bite I turned back to Emmett and saw that he was still watching me. Smiling I glanced down at his wrist, where I had bit him and ran my thumb over the mark.

What Edward had told me about him, wondering if I was going to come back, came to the forefront of my mind and my smile grew as I looked up into those still crystal clear blue eyes. It was a shame that soon they would be bright red, but truthfully I didn't mind much. Something that really sparked that hope was his strength. I mean, I can remember that amount of pain, the feeling of burning alive and the most that he had done was groan. "Hello, Emmett," I spoke softly as I looked back up at him. "My name is Genevieve. I won't leave again," I promised as he gripped onto my hand again and let out a groan. He squeezed my hand with a power that I didn't know a human could have but then quickly eased off as he continued to groan.

For a long second I wondered why before what Edward said about his being worried I was hurt and I thought that maybe he would think he would hurt me. Shifting my hand around, I squeezed his hand tighter. "You're not going to hurt me Emmett," I voiced and the pressure was hesitate but came back at half the strength until the bought passed and he flipped open those eyes again, finding me. "I'm sorry for doing this to you," I whispered, knowing exactly what Carlisle went through now with hearing every one of our screams.

He gave a questioning look, not understanding why I was apologizing but, once the burning was over I would explain the whole thing. So I just stayed by his side, watching as his wounds healed and his blue eyes slowly turn from the light sky blue to the vivid red. Eventually I had to let go of his hand as he squeezed because it got to be too much but placed my hand on his arm, telling him that he was getting much too strong for me. Carlisle, Esme, and Edward would alternate from one room to another as Rosalie and Noah (as Edward informed me) went through the same thing. But with his injuries being less extensive and Carlisle having bitten him sooner Noah's heart stopped beating before Emmett's.

Upstairs I heard them all start to explain to him what had happened, and asking what he remembered.

"The bear," He voiced as if unsure of his words. "I walked around a group of rocks and it was right there. I barely had time to turn and run. But Em…" he paused in shock. "Emmett, he shouted and it left. Did you find Emmett?" He asked urgently.

"He's downstairs with my sister," Rosalie comforted.

"Is he…" He paused.

"Yes," Edward answered the unfinished question.

"Would you like to see him?" Rosalie asked.

"Rosalie, we should wait until his transformation is done," Carlisle cautioned, he wouldn't have to wait more than thirty minutes. Already the venom was focusing in on his heart which beat rapidly in his chest: fighting to stay alive. He had his eyes squeezed shut while gritting his teeth, trying hard not to scream.

"It's almost over," I promised, squeezing his wrist, his strong hands balled up into fists.

"He should go hunting," Edward spoke.

"Right," Rosalie noted. "You're thirsty," She seemed to remember, not having gone through this with another person.

"Edward, why don't you go to help keep watch," Carlisle voiced—still a little wary with Rose being relatively new—and with a few murmurs of agreement I heard them take off through the house and out the front door. Standing up I moved up to Emmett's side just standing there as he fought the urge to scream out, though I don't know why. I mean, I know that it didn't particularly help but still, it doesn't hurt. I know how much pain he's going through. "How's he doing?" Carlisle questioned as he walked in.

"It's almost done," I voiced a little sadly. Knowing that once this was over he might hate me. He might not even want to stay. What if he and his younger brother wanted to head off on their own? At the thought of that I reached forward and pushed back his dark curly hair. Pressing his feet and fists hands onto the table, the wood groaned under the strain and cracked under his fists, which Esme wouldn't be happy with. Putting my hands on his chest I gave a silent warning to stay laying down as Carlisle moved up to my side while I heard Esme cleaning up in Rosalie's room.

"Almost over," I voiced soothingly, or at least tried as he let out a mixture of a growl and a snarl at the height and then it all stopped. Neither Carlisle, nor I made a sound as I stepped back and his eyes snapped open. Just as always they moved to me.


	6. Chapter 6

"Hello, Emmett," I smiled and his eyes grew wide and a little unfocused as he looked past me, focusing in on the things that he knew that he shouldn't be able to see, but could now, like the paint strokes on the wall, and the dust motes in the air. Slowly his eyes went back to me, looking right in my dark red ones with his vivid red ones.

"Where am I?" He asked, which wasn't a surprise.

"You're at my family's home, near Pineville," I answered. "I'm Genevieve and this," I gestured to Carlisle, "is my adoptive father, Carlisle." Slowly he started to push up and both of us reached up to help him moved around so his legs were hanging off the side of the table.

"Do you remember anything?" Carlisle asked.

"The bear…" he murmured, and then paused, furrowing his eyebrows together. "Is Noah here?"

"Yes," I answered. "But about the bear…"

"I tried to get it away from him, and it attacked me. But then there was this flash and it was off me. And…" He paused in confusion and looked to me.

"Then I came in," I filled in the blank and he nodded. "Emmett, you probably noticed that you aren't exactly who you used to be," I lead in and he nodded slightly. "Well you've heard of vampire's right?" Again he nodded. "Well, I'm a vampire. My whole family is and, well, you are too, now." He paused and looked between us.

"So I'm not dead?" He questioned, reacting amazingly well.

"Well, no," I spoke, trying to answer the hardest question. "Yet, no longer are you still alive either. Just as you've probably know we live off blood. But our family specifically lives off animal blood."

He ran his tongue over the edge of his teeth curiously, "no fangs?"

"No," I giggled slightly and gave him a smile. "But we have the speed and other attributes that you might have heard about: running, strength, enhanced senses. And some have other special gifts."

His eyes lit up, "I wonder if I do."

"Well so far you've shown more strength than normal. I suspect that you were stronger than most in your human life," Carlisle more stated than asked but Emmett nodded. "Well now it's kind of transferred over. You almost broke Genevieve's hand," he noted in his slightly amazed voice.

He looked over at me in shock and I gave a smile. "I'm all good," I raised my hand up, flexing it.

"Do you have something like that?" He asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Both my brother and I are the only ones out of the five of us."

"Your brother?" He said with a small smirk. "Is that the guy that was in here a couple times?"

"Yes," I nodded and what I would do to have him here right now to know why he had that look of small relief.

"So what can you both do?" he leaned in.

"I'm sure your thirsty, why don't we all talk after you've fed?" Carlisle said with a small smirk.

"Are you coming?" He asked me.

"Yes, I'll be taking you," I laughed slightly and he got a wide smile.

"Alright, let's go kill something," He said enthusiastically and I glanced over to Carlisle but stepped back and he hopped off the table.

"Alright, go to the south, since Noah, Rosalie, and Edward went north. We don't want them crossing paths while hunting," Carlisle cautioned.

"Right," I nodded. "If he gets out of control I just call him back," I smirked glancing up at the man that was a good seven inches taller than me but smiling like a goofy little kid, a thought that was only enhanced by his dimples.

"Have fun, Emmett," Carlisle smiled.

"Come on," I nodded and started forward. He moved behind me, stepping into the vampire shoes pretty easily as I picked up the pace out the door and into the forest before pulling to a stop. "Alright," I turned to him and it was only then that I noticed his clothing: shredded. Basically his shirt left nothing to the imagination, but still my imagination wouldn't have been as good as the real thing. His pants weren't as bad, the bear having mostly concentrated on the broad shoulders and muscled chest. "I should have given you some other clothes before we left." I noted off hand. "But at least this way you won't get dirty again."

"Well, what about you?" He questioned looked over my outfit of the dress I had changed into two days ago and nothing else: no shoes or jacket.

"I'm a bit more experienced than you," I stated and then looked back to the matter at hand. "Now you're going to need to let your senses take control to hunt: smell for blood, listen for footsteps and heartbeats..."

He paused for a moment and I thought that he was listening for the animals all round us, specifically a deep thud that I had picked up a few miles to the south east with a couple coyotes. "So, what's your special gift?"

"I can create an illusion and compel people," I answered.

"What do you mean an illusion?"

"I can make myself seem human with changing my eye color and a heartbeat."

"And compelling?" he continued. He really must be fighting off the thirst, because from what I can remember the burning was really bad when I first woke up.

"If I wanted to I could plant suggestions in your head right now that would be very hard to fight off, and it gets stronger if I were to put up the illusion, or look in your eyes." Teasing I looked up into his eyes to see if he would glance away, but he held eye contact.

"What color do your eyes change to?" He questioned softer, getting a smirk.

"My human green color," I answered and at that his expression turned from flirting to confusion.

"You mean that's not your natural color?"

"No, our eyes can gage how hungry we are, also what kind of diet we have. When a person is on a human diet their eyes are red, ranging from a blood red to a dark burgundy then black. Then for a person on an animal diet, their eyes are different shades of gold; from a sort of topaz and then it darkens to black the hungrier you get. I bit you so that's why my and Carlisle's were dark red."

"So what color are mine?"

"Newborns eyes are always a bright red color, that will dark in a year or so, because you're human blood still lingers in your system. But that's never going to happen unless you learn how to hunt." I snapped a little, "So listen."

"Geeze, you need to lighten up and take a breath," He smirked to which I raised an eyebrow at. So often I had said something like that to Edward, but never had it been said to me. "Are you all business or do you know how to have fun?" He got that flirting look back.

"Fun?" I posed the question as if it were a foreign concept.

"Yeah," he nodded as I got an idea.

"Alright," I took a couple steps forward and leapt up to grab up onto a branch, quickly climbing up into the trees. "You listen and catch me you win," I voiced and then let out the illusion, creating a steady beat of a heart.

"What do I win?" He started forward and I stood up and as light as I feather leapt over a couple trees, expertly balancing in the branches.

"The ability to hunt and feed yourself," I spoke in a whisper so that he had to strain to listen.

"That's not a real prize," He voiced back in his normal tone and I crouched down in the cover of branches as he looked up through the branches. "What about a kiss?"

"You'll have to do a lot more to earn a kiss from an angel," I teased slightly in just a breath of a whisper.

"But it is possible?" He asked, but this time it was quieter.

"There is a meadow five miles from here, directly to the south," I peeked over the branch, watching as he moved around the tree beside mine while looking up. "If you catch me before getting there you will earn your desired prize. If I win you'll listen to me and learn to hunt properly."

"Five miles south?" He questioned and looked to the correct direction. "Rules?"

"None, you can do whatever method you would like to try and get me. Do you accept?" I smiled at the thought of not only the kiss but the rush of the game.

"Yes," He said with a slightly cocky tone.

"Go," I voiced and quickly stood up, leaping to the next as he landed a solid punch to the tree that I had been in and the poor thing went tumbling down with a tremendous creak and rumbled as branches snapped. "You are hunting Emmett, that usually requires stealth," I offered and was off, leaping across the treetops. Once I was about ten feet ahead of him, there was a gap and I had to swing down and landed in a crouch. Flipping around I saw him give a smirk and push hard to get to me. Testing him I waited right as he got to me and flipped around just as he leapt. Spinning out of his range, I easily dodged him and took off in a run, planting my feet nimbly on the fallen trees and jumping over long distances, leaving him behind.

Right as I got to the edge of the sunny meadow I flipped back up into a tree and sat there waiting, silencing the illusion. About ten minutes later his loud footsteps came rushing in, but quickly skidded to a halt at the sight of the meadow and inhaled deeply. "You lose," I voiced and he looked up a little disappointed, but still had a wide smile. "Did you follow my scent?" I asked, about seeing him inhale.

"Yeah, but it was a little difficult at times, you skip around a lot," He chuckled.

"Well, I couldn't make it easy on you," I smirked and just as I moved to swing out of the tree and into the meadow he let out a shout. "What?" I smiled, as I landed in the shadow of the tree.

"Well…the sun?"

"Oh," I smiled, "The sun doesn't harm us. It…well it reflects off us." I reasoned and then stepped out, so it shown on my back, scattering glittering rainbows across my skin. He just stood there staring in shock I think and I let out a small giggle.

"You really are an angel," He whispered and while I thought he was in shock at what it did I now realized that he was in shock at how it looked in me. "You are the most beautiful person I've ever met."

"You haven't met many vampires," I rolled my eyes and stepped back into the tree line beside him.

"No, I haven't but I can't imagine that they compare," He spoke.

"Do you always just say what's on your mind, or am I just special?" I bit my lip slightly as I looked up at this extremely attractive and maybe a little crazy man.

He shrugged. "I'm just speaking the truth. It's nothing that I should hide, or be embarrassed about thinking."

"Hunting," I changed the subject quickly because I'm sure that if I had been human I would have been blushing like no other.

"Right, you're end of the deal," he nodded and I raised a finger to my lips to tell him to be quiet. Rolling his eyes he clamped his lips closed with his teeth.

"Open up all your senses. Let your ears listen to the steady beat of a heart," I spoke softly having already picked up on a three elk to the south west. "And take in the scent," I spoke and he took in a deep breath, inhaling the earthy scent of the herbivores.

"That doesn't seem very appetizing," He noted.

"Yes, well it's an Elk, an herbivore. But it's better than the scavengers which is your next choice at the moment with coyotes."

"I wish I could take down that bear," He muttered, and got sort of a devilish look.

"Sorry, I kind of already got him," I cringed up at him

"That flash was you," He seemed to note to himself as I nodded. "Did he even put up a good fight, for you?"

"I kind of had trying to save you on my mind," I shrugged. "Didn't really savor it."

"Damn," He muttered and I raised an eyebrow to his cursing. "Sorry…so food?" He finally got back on track and I motioned for him to lead the way.

"Now, remember stealth," I warned.

"Got it," He spoke, incredibly focused at the moment as the blood called to him. The hunter came forward and instinct took hold as we moved to the edge of the herd. I saw the shift in him as he fluidly crouched down and then sprung. Now while he was a natural predator now, the predator of all predators, he was still a baby in the eyes of all of us that were more experienced so he tore into the neck of the elk with a little more vigor than was necessary. Even Esme and Rosalie's first kill combined didn't spill that much blood on the ground and over himself.

I stood to the edge, just in the tree line as the elk scattered and he sprung to the next before it got out of reach, the first lying limp in the ground. He was reckless, that was beyond evident and maybe even a little violent, based on what I had seen. He didn't seem to care much about being reborn into an immortal being as all of us had; he just leapt into the life literally and figuratively. But then again he must not have been that careful in his human life either by drawing a bear away with no plan in mind as to how escape it himself. Though, that also showed that he had a big heart; he would risk his life for his family.

Drawing back he looked around for any of the elk left, but all had taken off into the woods and he paused, standing up and listened before taking off to the south where they had gone. Having had enough watching I pulled to the east slightly to quench my own thirst that had been bugging me after a hundred mile run and sitting beside him for three days. Rushing around the side I spotted one and moved in for the kill, the hunter side taking control, leaping into the air and with a small snarl I brought down the elk that was more than four times my weight and pinned it to the ground while sinking my teeth into its neck.

Once done I stood up, expecting to have and look for Emmett but instead he was just standing over to the side, standing over his third elk and watching me. Licking over my lips, I stood up, "all done?"

"You are amazing," He spoke suddenly and with a roll of my eyes I started towards him.

"Are you full?" I restated.

"Well, the burn is still there a little."

"It will always be there; you get used to it and can learn to ignore it for the most part. But as a newborn it's important that you don't let it get too bad." I pointed like a mother scolding a child, which I guess in a weird way I was. I had turned him and it was my responsibility to make sure he followed the rules.

"Alright," He nodded, with a small smile which made me a little confused.

"I'm not joking Emmett," I cautioned softly. "You are my responsibility."

"You're responsibility?" He said with the joking edge again and I nodded and grabbed his hand and turned it up so his wrist was showing.

"See this?" I drew the half crescent with my thumb and he pulled back slightly and focused in on it. "I brought you into the house so Carlisle could change you, but he was upstairs with Noah. Before he could get down your heart stopped and I bit you. Carlisle, when he got down there he bit you more to help speed up the process since I would have killed you otherwise, but my venom was the one that started the process. So you are my responsibility. I'm to blame if you don't obey the rules."

Pulling back, I looked down at the ground in shame at committing him to this life. "What are the rules," He stated, without amusement but completely serious.

"Secrecy," I spoke the general rule. "We are to avoid sunlight in front of humans, and hunts must be inconspicuous: human or animal." He gave a nod, as he looked at me intently. "I'm sorry for turning you."

"Don't be," He smiled softly and gave a shrug.

"Emmett, you will never change, never grow old or have a child…you will be how you are right now forever."

"But you're going to be here, right?" He raised an eyebrow to me.

"Yes…" I trailed off.

"Well then I'm fine," He smiled.

Biting my lip, I looked up at him with a small smile. "Let's head back," I nodded. "You're evidentially not that hungry."

"Do you think Noah will be back yet?" He asked with both excitement and maybe a little worried.

"I would think so," I nodded. "And you'll be able to meet, Esme, who plays the part of Edward, Rosalie, and I's mother."

"So, you're all adopted by them?" He asked in confusion and I guess that probably should give him a little background. Turning around I just started walking back towards the house, so I could face him while we talked. "Carlisle changed Edward and I first in Chicago, in 1918. Both of us were dying from Spanish Influenza and our mother had begged him to save us before she died. Then in 1921 he changed Esme after she fell off a cliff in Ashland Wisconsin. After that it wasn't until 1933 that we added Rosalie to the family in Rochester, New York."

"What happened to her?" He frowned.

"You'll have to ask," I gave a sad smile, flipping back around to stand beside him, "it's not my story to tell."

"When was Carlisle turned?"

"In 1663," I said, glancing over at him.

"How old are you?" He asked after a moment's pause and I raised an eyebrow up to him.

"I'm guessing you mean human years," I questioned, getting a nod in return. "Nineteen. How old are you and Noah?"

"Noah is eighteen, I'm twenty."

"Dang, that means I'm no longer the oldest child," I tsked, jokingly. "It was very brave for you to get the bear away from him.

"I'm the oldest of my family," he paused and furrowed his brow, "human family. My father died when I was sixteen, leaving me as the man of the family with three younger brothers. I had taken Noah out for a hunting trip to celebrate him getting into a university in Georgia." He frowned then, the first time I had seen it and it almost broke me to see an expression that didn't fit him at all. It was a sin not to see those dimples. "They're going to have a tough time without me working too."

I bit my lip and looked down at the ground, "we could give them something."

"What?"

"Money," I offered, "we have plenty of money." Only after I said it did I cringe. That sounded so insensitive and boastful. He smirked down at me, and let out a laugh, probably catching the cringe.

"Thank you," he chuckled.

"Yeah, let's get home," I just shook my head at my actions and took off into a run sending him into more laughter.


	7. Chapter 7

As soon as we got in the large back lawn a seemingly identical man came running out and it was only when he tackled Emmett to the ground with a laugh did you see the difference of Emmett being larger. In truth the last time that I had seen him was when he was blood covered and dying, but truthfully he was almost identical. Leaner, with narrower shoulders, though wider than Edward's, and a couple inches shorter.

"This is amazing," Noah let out a laugh as the rest of the family came out onto the lawn and I walked over to them.

"Is that the new dress you just ordered in from New York?" Rosalie noted.

"Edward brought it down for me to change into. I didn't think of changing before going out hunting," I shrugged and she pursed her lips.

"They're both taking this extremely well," Esme noted with a wide smile.

"How was Emmett with hunting?" Carlisle asked.

"Messy, loud, reckless," I named off earning a look from the newborn himself.

"I wasn't that messy," He defended.

"Look at your shirt," I noted and he looked down to the bright red blood over his shirt and also on his chest from the going through the holes.

"Oh," He said in almost wonder.

"Come on, meet everyone, I know you already know Carlisle and Genevieve." Noah pulled him over. "This is Esme, Rose, and Edward. He's awesome," He pointed enthusiastically to my brother which Rosalie, or I guess Rose, harrumphed to. "He can read minds, and plus he's an alright guy," He joked and put an arm around Edward who surprisingly gave a little chuckle. Then again it was probably a relief to have more guys than just Carlisle around.

"Hey," He greeted.

"Welcome to the family," Esme smiled to him.

"Thank you, Ma'am," He grinned and then looked to me. "I'm very happy to be a part of it."

oOo

Both Emmett and Noah fit in perfectly with the family. Just as I had thought, Edward perked up right away and got mostly out of that sullen teenager act and started joking around with the guys. Esme was more than happy to have two more children to look after but I think she was having a little difficulty adjusting to the rough and tumble lifestyle that accompanied it, same as Carlisle. Then there was Rosalie who actually had a smile most of the time which was a very new thing and cheered up both Esme and Carlisle, along with benefitting Edward who no longer got the brunt of her attitude for snickering at her thoughts. The rough house twins brought a new element of joy into the home that had been very quiet and it was something that all of us had needed but didn't know until now, and that was only two weeks in.

"Come in," I called to the knock on my door and finished pulling my hair up for a day, putting on my signature pearl necklace, Cullen crest and the dragonfly pin that I wore most of the time.

"Woah," Was the respond I got as Emmett walked into my room.

"What?" I moved out of my large closet smoothing out my light green, long sleeved dress that had a white belt around the waist, to see him looking around at the room. It wasn't my largest room I had ever had; it being in the two story cabin restricted the space. But it had a large shelf which I had stuffed with books and records along with knickknacks. In the corner was my record player, and then I had a couch on the wall by the door that looked out the large window into the back yard. He had turned to look at the other side wall where I had hung the multiple paintings, including one of every family member.

"You did these?" he questioned as he looked over the painting of Esme and Carlisle on their wedding.

"Yes," I smiled. "Have you never been in here?"

"Nope," He smirked and then turned around, walking over to the book case. "Louis Armstrong, Bing Crosby, Duke Ellington," he named off my records. "You like Jazz…"

"Correct," I grinned. "Don't you?" I raised an eyebrow to him.

"Jazz is fine," He nodded. Plucking one out of the stand, he flipped the record around in his hand and then placed it on the player.

"I got rhythm?" I raised an eyebrow to him at the song choice as he nodded.

"Well do you?" He asked, holding out a hand.

"I can't dance," I shook my head to which he chuckled slightly and walked towards me.

"You can dance, you just don't want to," He reached forward and took my hand as Ella Fitzgerald sang in the background. Biting my lip, I took a deep breath and placed my free hand on his shoulder as he laced his around to my middle back. He gave a wide smile and started rocking back and forth just as the music picked. Letting out a small laugh I spun out as he held up his hand and then back in. "See, you can dance," he smirked as I moved back into place.

"Maybe you're just a good dancer and are making me look good?" I challenged.

"Hmmm, well I guess you should only ever dance with me from now on then," He fired right back. For the past week it had been like this. Him pursuing, and me taking a step away. He was unnerving for me on so many levels because I wasn't used to this type of flirting. Where he was upfront and blunt with his pursuits I was used to getting flowers and receiving callers which were then chaperoned by my mother. Most of the time I took them as jokes, like the outstanding challenge to give a kiss if he got me before reaching the meadow that we had done two times since, because I knew that pursuing a woman had changed in the last seventeen years. That might be the reason that Noah and Rose were hitting it off so fast from the moment he gave her bouquets of wildflowers: which in itself was a switch for her. I mean who would have ever thought that Rosalie Hale would have wildflowers in a vase as opposed to top of the line roses.

"So are you going to paint Noah and me?" He smiled, changing the subject which was something he always did when I felt a little uncomfortable. He never let it linger, like he sensed that I was starting to edge off and take that step back so he would pull me back in with something else.

"I've already started on Noah's," I nodded to the covered canvas.

His jaw dropped and let out a faux offended scoff, "why him first?"

"Because he asked me that question first," I giggled.

"When?"

"About four days ago when he came in to look at my room," I answered and at that his smile drooped a little.

"Kids," I turned to Esme's voice and saw her standing at the door with a small smile and my guess is that all of them had been listening to the conversation. "We're all going to go out hunting. Do you two want to come."

"Sure," Emmett grinned.

"Yeah, just let me change," I nodded and pulled apart from Emmett, though felt my insides swirl as his hand slipped off my back. "I'll meet you downstairs." Both nodded and moved out the door as I headed back into my closet to change into a pair of trousers.

By ten minutes later we were spread out across the forest running to the north. We all spread out in a line that covered at least a mile and a half with Carlisle on one end then Me, Emmett, Edward, Noah, Rosalie and Esme, in the order. It was both strategic in the way of putting the two newborns in the middle, but also on either side of Edward in case they did catch something that they weren't supposed to and Edward could tell us and react. But I never expected that to happen, even when it did.

It started with a strong wind out of the west, and the smell of human blood moved through the air. "No!" I heard Edward shout, but I knew that if it was hard for me to kick out of the hunting mode after picking that up then it was going to be impossible for both Emmett and Noah with a single shout. Quickly, I veered to the right with Carlisle as Edward moved towards Emmett, with Rose and Esme going after Noah. This had happened once before with Esme, but she was easy to pull back with Carlisle just pulling her away. This, though, was going to be a little more difficult with not only two newborns, but with one extremely strong one.

With Edward and I being fastest of the family we reached Emmett first but Edward leapt. Immediately the predator whipped around and hit him hard in the chest, causing Edward to go flying back into the trees, almost knocking it down too. Rushing forward I tried to go around and get him from the side, but it appeared that in the meadow challenges he had picked up a few of my moves and as I leapt off the tree stump he wound around. "Emmett!" I shouted and evaded the grab, kicking his legs out from under him. I needed to throw him off the trail, so I did something that could be very dangerous this close, but I turned on the illusion. Instantly I had a flashback of Edward attacking when we first woke up as Emmett snarled at me then leapt and slamming me to the ground. "Stop!" I shouted, compelling him to do so. Flipping him over, I pinned a knee to his chest and trapped both his fists to the ground. "Tell me your name."

"Emmett McCarty," He answered in a dull voice.

"And who am I?" I looked in his eyes, taking the illusion off, bringing him back.

"Gen," He answered as his eyes went wide.

"Go get Noah," I spoke to Edward and Carlisle who were standing off to the side.

"Are you sure?" Carlisle asked and I slowly let up off Emmett's wrists, but he just stayed in the position.

"Yeah," I nodded and they both veered off to help Rosalie and Esme.

"I-I didn't mean…" Emmett started to stutter out.

"It's alright," I comforted and moved to sit on the ground beside him. "It's a natural thing."

"To attack Edward…" He gave a visible swallow and shook his head, "or you. That's not natural."

"But it is Emmett," I reached out and put a hand on his forearm. "We're predators, territorial, and competitive. It doesn't make sense for us to bond like a family." He looked over at me while still lying on the ground. "But by forming a conscience and value for human life we're able to hold onto that feeling that we had while humans. Though, we have fight for it, and that becomes harder when we're hunting. We allow the animal to come out, however as you get older you'll learn to rein it back in with your tolerance."

"Tolerance," He nodded as if drilling it into himself. "How did Carlisle do this alone?" He muttered in disbelief.

"I'm not sure," I laughed slightly. "But he's told me that when you become a vampire everything that you are increases. For instance, Esme; she was a caring and loving person when she was human and now she's even more so. I'm guessing that he must have been a very compassionate and self-controlled person when he was human." I paused as he rolled onto his side looked at me. "It also makes since for Edward, because he was always very good at reading people. He could always just look at me and know what I was thinking."

"What does that say about your power?" He teased and I let out a small giggle.

"Well, while Edward got my mother's gift of reading people I received my father's talent of convincing people of anything. I could negotiate the price of a dress down thirty dollars before they even knew what hit them," I smirked as he let out a laugh.

"What about the illusion?" he wondered and I bit my lip slightly.

"I've wondered about that too, but I'm guessing it's because I didn't want to die. I wished and prayed for it through the pain, until my heart stopped beating."

"So everything that you are is frozen and increased?" He asked in curiosity and I answered with a nod.

"Why?" I laughed slightly as he rolled onto his back again, thinking.

"So if you were to love someone?" He trailed off and I furrowed my brows and looked down to the ground as thoughts raced through my mind. I mean what if he had a love in his human life. He could just be flirtatious with me because he knows he can't go around her.

"Then that feeling would last forever; it's the same with a vampire; when we bond with our mates its forever with any diet that you might have. It's the only thing that can overcome that competitive need for blood and allow you to form that bond."

"Have you loved someone before?" He asked in his normal blunt nature that made me pull back slightly and if I could have blush I would have.

"Umm…" I paused under his stare. "No, I haven't."

"But surely you had dates," he raised an eyebrow.

"I had callers yes, and two proposals," I replied while looking to the ground. "But even with my fathers and mothers insistence I wasn't ready to marry, and didn't love them."

"Callers…and proposals," He said as if a little dumbfounded.

"Yes, Emmett," I nodded, seeing it as a way to show him that my version of dating is a bit different from his. "Men would leave a calling card and I would receive them in the parlor of my home with my mother sitting right there. That's my version of dating, and once when I was sixteen one of the sons of my father's business associates asked to marry me. That time my father declined, saying I was too young. But then the second was another associate's son that had been calling on me for a long time and he was leaving for the war. But, I was going through training to be a nurse and declined."

"Oh," He muttered and sat up so he was facing me. "So what would these callers do when they came over?"

"Well," I gave a small amused smile. "They would bring flowers, maybe something from their mother for mine, like a cake or tin of cookies. Then we would talk about the latest gossip, or if it was the beginning of the season and we were both just back from school we would talk of studies. My mother made me put on a show a lot of times to show my schooling by playing the piano, or painting."

"Hum," he nodded and then stood up and held out a hand to me.

"What?" I laughed slightly.

"Nothing, just thinking," he smiled and I narrowed my eyes at him for a few moments but took his hand and with a slight pull, yanked me into the air and on my feet. "Let's catch up to the others," He nodded and then just took off leaving me wondering.


	8. Chapter 8

I was sitting in my room in the corner by the window, letting the sun power in and glint off the skin that was partially shadowed by the easel in front of me. In the week since the almost human fiasco I had finished Noah's painting which was now hanging beside Rosalie's and I had begun work on Emmett. Every day he tried to sneak in and get a look at it, but I kept it covered and would catch him if he got to close. Which is why I'm surprised that he hadn't made an appearance yet today, by now he usually had tried at least two times.

Just then there was a knock in the front door and I froze, and opened up my senses but couldn't smell or hear anything different. "Genevieve," Esme called up from where she had answered the door and feeling like it was some scheme of Emmett's I quickly grabbed the canvas and tucked it into my closet before heading down the stairs. It was then that I realized that it must have been some sort of joke or something as Edward chuckled on the armchair in the living room and both Rosalie and Noah watched eagerly from the couch. Stepping out of his office, Carlisle started towards the end of the hall also watching.

"What in the world is going on?" I muttered as I looked around at all of them and moved towards where Esme was still waiting at a half closed door.

"You have a visitor," She smiled and I just shook my head as I opened the door to find Emmett there.

"I hope that you'll accept these," He handed me over a small bouquet of late fall coneflowers, which I'm surprised he even found.

"Thank you," I smiled and I looked to see what he had in the other hand and had to stifle a laugh.

"And this is for you ma'am," he handed over a poor rabbit, which was scared to death, to Esme.

Behind me all three, Edward, Noah, and Rosalie let out a laugh as Esme took it, playing into the act brilliantly. "How kind," She took it and would probably let it go once this was all done. "What can we do for you today?"

"Actually, I was hoping to take your daughter out for a walk," He looked to both Esme and Carlisle.

"I don't know dear, what do you think?" Carlisle smiled down to Esme and I looked down and let out a small laugh.

"He seems like a good enough boy," Esme smiled back to him and then to Emmett.

"Alright, you can take Genevieve out," Carlisle consented.

"Miss," Emmett bowed his head slightly and held out an arm. A mixture of happiness, gratefulness for the effort and also embarrassment coursed through me as I handed Esme the flowers and headed out, looping my arm through his.

"Have fun!" Noah shouted out after us as I reached in and closed the door and we just walked off into the woods.

"What was that?" I giggled softly.

"I'm trying to court you," he defended while giving me a smile.

"Who says I want to court you?" I whispered.

"Well you came," he reasoned, "and if you don't know, I'm going to convince you that I'm worth it." Biting my lip, I looked away and just tried to hold back the wide smile that I felt like giving.

"Why do you want to court me, Emmett?" I questioned as I glanced back up to him, but then looked back in front of us.

"Well the first thing that obviously attracted me to you is your beauty," he replied like it was obvious. "But then I got you know you as caring, loving, creative, and every once in a while you can be fun," he chuckled as I elbowed him while giving a small smirk. "Why shouldn't I want to?"

"What if I just compelled you into thinking all those things and I'm really just this nasty horrible person?" I teased with an exaggerated gasp.

"Wouldn't believe that for a second," He shook his head.

"And why is that?"

"Well first, because you don't feed off humans, and second is because you saved me," He gave me a soft smile. I could sense it coming, the one question that I had been hoping to avoid forever, but it would have to come out sooner or later. "Why did you?"

Licking over my lips, I stalled and hopped up on a fallen tree, letting my arm fall from Emmett's but he seemed to be recognizing what I was doing and held onto my hand. "Well, I couldn't very well just leave you there to be eaten alive," I said and tried to hold back the sadness that I felt by that thought.

"Ok, you could have gotten rid of the bear, but if you had just let the tourniquet off I would have died within moments." He sighed. "If you're going to give me a million excuses as to why just don't tell me."

"What do you mean a million excuses?"

"I mean that there is some reason you chose to save me, some specific reason and I want to know why."

"Have you been talking to Edward," I accused, and pulled to a stop looking down at him a bit angrily.

"No," He defended. "I just know that there has to be some reason you would save me. Why did I matter so much?"

"I did it for Noah," I did exactly what he told me not to.

"Don't lie to me," He rolled his eyes.

"How do you know it wasn't?" I shot back, showing my stubbornness.

"Because you would have waited for Carlisle," he replied. "You wouldn't have risked biting me if you didn't want me here." I paused and just looked away from him as he held me in place by gripping onto my hand. "Alright, don't tell me," he sighed, and I could hear the anger and frustration in his voice and that hurt me more than the idea of the embarrassment of telling him.

"Because, when you looked at me I felt hope for the first time in a long time," I breathed out. "I felt that for the first time in this long life that I could be happy."

"Gen, you know how I feel about you. But I have no idea how you feel about me." He stated and I glanced over to him as he raised an eyebrow, asking me to answer the unasked question which made me a little mad for some reason.

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to tell me how you feel. Do you feel for me as more than a friend and brother? Why can't you just do that instead of leaving me guessing?"

"Because, Emmett I wasn't brought up to just blurt out my feeling like you evidentially were!" I shouted out in frustration and tore my hand from his. "I was taught to hide them and smile in public; never frown for you wouldn't dare to let the public know of family problems, or personal problems. So do you honestly think that conveying feelings like that are allowed?"

"Are we in public?" He held his hands out and looked around.

"Why does it matter so much if you're going to convince me that you're worth it?" I asked, still trying to evade the direct answer.

"Because, while I might appear confident Gen, I would prefer not to make a big fool of myself," he sighed. "And no matter how much I might persuade you to like me I can't change your heart."

"Emmett," I whispered, as I looked down at the ground to avoid eye contact. "I wouldn't have accepted to either the challenge or this if my heart wasn't already persuaded that way." With a sigh of my own I dropped down the foot, or so, off the log and onto the ground beside him. "Is that a good enough answer?" I asked softly.

"That is perfect," He spoke and I could tell that he was smiling but was still too embarrassed to look up at him. Evidentially I didn't have a choice though as he took my chin and tipped my head up. "I'm not going to kiss you, because I think that might put you over the edge. But just know that I really do want to."

"My goodness, don't say things like that," I murmured and pulled away before my knees gave out like they were feeling they might do any moment.

"Alright," he chuckled, "but can I do this?" He reached forward and took my hand, and brought it up to his lips, placing a kiss on my middle knuckle.

"Yes," I restrained my smile. "That is perfectly fine."

"So I'm guessing this is too?" he brought my hand down and laced his fingers with mine and I gave a nod. "Well then this has gone much better than I thought it would." He grinned and gave a small chuckle as we started walking again.


	9. Chapter 9

Humming along with Ethel I took a couple steps back to look at my family portrait wall, having finished the last of the paintings: Emmett's. But the problem is that I didn't exactly know where to put it. I sort of had the portraits arranged in both the traditional family tree way and then also chronologically for the actual portraits and then the others were scattered around. But the problem was that I didn't really know where to put Emmett. I mean I had Noah beside Rose, and logically I would put Emmett next to him just like I was near Edward's, but just as I put Noah beside Rose, I didn't know if I should put Emmett near me or not.

We both had gotten closer in a sense, since the date a month ago, but still Rose and Noah were even closer when I had put them together than we were now. So for now I just had him sitting, leaning up against the wall as I thought over the enigma, which really it shouldn't be.

Just then there was a knock on my door, thankfully pulling me out of my thoughts. "Come in," I spoke, turning to the door to see the one and only true enigma enter from wrestling in the backyard with Noah. Though, Emmett himself wasn't ever an enigma, you could figure him out with the snap of the fingers. My enigma was figuring out me when it came to him.

"Edward said you needed me," He gave a small smile to me.

'Yeah, thanks,' I muttered to my brother and walked forward picking up the painting.

"I finished," I smile and showed it to him.

"Hum…" he seemed to ponder it as he looked over the painting where I had made sure to show him smiling, dimples prominent with the dark curly hair and even and crystal clear topaz eyes. "So this is what I'm going to look like with those," He grinned, and I nodded while looking up to his still red, but darkening eyes. "I don't know," he rubbing his chin, "I think I might look more dashing in person. What do you think?" He smirked and with an eye roll I turned back to the wall.

"I don't think that your head needs to get any larger," I smirked and set it back down at the base.

"You're not going to hang it up?" He questioned and after being around him basically 24/7 for the past three months I could hear the small bit of hurt.

"Uh, well," I worked on this new thing, that he had made me promise to try, and that was speaking what I was truly thinking and feeling. "I'm not sure where to put you."

"Well that's easy," He smiled and walked forward, taking a nail. With my smile growing I watched as he jammed it into the wall, right beside me and hung up his portrait. "See, fits perfectly."

"Perfectly?" I teased and ever so confidently he nodded and it seemed to click in my mind. I knew how I felt about him, and it was stronger than I had felt for anyone in my life, which was why it was so confusing for me. Never had I dove in and just gone for it because I hadn't ever felt the need to. And now, just seeing how much he was throwing out there, I knew that I needed to. "I was thinking about going hunting? Want to come?"

"Sure," he grinned always up for a game and a hunt." "Same terms?"

"Always," I put on a cocky grin, something that I had appeared to have gotten from being around him. "To the meadow," I nodded and saw him tense up, ready to go. "1…2…3…Go!" I let out with a small laugh as he took off out of the room and down the stairs. Glad that I was wearing a pair of trousers I moved over to the window and simply pulled to open before leaping out and landing in a crouch just as he zipped out the back door, evidentially counting on catching me right in the back yard.

Flashing him a smirk I took off, hearing laughter behind me at the house, and tore into the forest. I could hear him right behind me as I leapt up, grabbing a branch and flipping around to stand on a high branch. "What do you get if you win?" he called up to me.

"You'll see," I called back down and leapt, flying over a gap in the branches and picking up momentum. It was obvious that my previous lessons had benefited, because he could track like no other even without the illusion, his human hunting skills also coming into play, and with his extra strength of being a newborn his speed pretty much matched mine making for a few near catches previously. But, I had always used my cunningness and his straight forward maneuvers against him, though today I was counting on something else.

As I saw the meadow coming into view I heard him right behind me, and slowed slightly before leaping. Just as my feet were about to touch the ground, I felt it, two large arms grabbing me out of the air as he ran right into the meadow and skidded to a halt. There, as he held me against his chest, I gave a small nervous smile as he looked down to me in confusion.

"Did you just let me win?" He asked and dropped my feet to the ground.

"Yes," I replied clearly while putting on a confident edge and his confusion faded slightly, giving way to a smile.

"Same terms?" He questioned again.

"Same terms, but you have to promise me something," I whispered and silently he just waited for it, "You have to promise that if you kiss me you'll never leave me."

"I promise," He whispered back without a moment's hesitation and slowly, even a bit timidly he reached forwards, sliding one hand around to my lower back as the other moved up, smoothing over my cheek. Nerves coursed through me as he leaned down far too slowly for my taste. I mean if he was going to take this slow I was likely to just eternally combust from nerves, so laying it all out on the line I pushed up onto my toes and planted my lips against his. I felt his lips curve into a smile but he didn't draw back, instead he pulled me closer with the hand on my back. Reaching up, I took his wide shoulders to steady myself as I felt, for the first time in this life, unbalanced.

"You realized what you just promised, right?" I asked softly as we pulled back from the other, but it was like a floodgate opened in me. Those stupid thoughts holding me back were gone with that one kiss and I was perfectly fine with it.

"Yes, and you can bet that I won't," He answered without a shred of joking, or anything of the kind as he looked right down as me. I watched as he became this sweet caring man that I hadn't ever seen him be as he smoothed both his hands over my cheeks, rubbing his thumbs across my cheekbones while getting the largest smile I've ever seen him get.

"Why, Emmett McCarty, you're getting awfully sentimental," I teased softly and he let out a small chuckle as I took a step back.

"I know," he answered in faux surprise as he reached out and grabbed my waist pulling me back into him, but this time even closer. "But, I don't care. I think you just made me the happiest I've ever been in my entire life." Reaching up, with a smile I wound my hands around his neck and looked into his eyes. Pushing up on my toes, I moved to pull him down to me, but he surprised me by simply winding his arms around me and lifting me up to meet him. Giggling against his lips, I tightened my arms around his neck as I felt him smile briefly against mine.


	10. Chapter 10

"It's bigger," Rose noted as all of us 'children' moved into our new home in Hoquiam Washington, and it was true. The brick home, which Esme had come up two months ago to renovate, was larger than the house we had been in for the past two months, though was still in the middle of the forest. It was three stories, but with only three rooms on the top which would serve as Carlisle and Esme's room and their offices. Then on the second story was all of our rooms, two of which Esme had put two large walk in closets for Rosalie and I, then also on the second floor was another room for Carlisle's library. On the 1st floor was the largest with a wide living room jutted out to the right from the entryway, where the stairs were. And, on the back of the house, opposite the living room was the dining room and kitchen, separated by only a fireplace, all three of which we wouldn't use—well possibly the dining room for the table. Finally on the opposite side of the entryway the room was still open to the back where Edward's piano now stood, and to the front was another room, which would be used as our 'library', in other words where we would make our documents.

Moving around to the back I looked out to see that the small back yard opened up almost right into the dense forest which poured into the open wilderness where I could already hear heartbeats thumping away. On the other side though, I could hear the faint sounds of the town of Hoquiam, the lumber mill and my worries for Emmett kicked in. It would be their first time being around civilization in the year and a half that they had been vampires and both had slip ups, making us move three times throughout the year. But without a slip up in the past three months and Carlisle's new job in Aberdeen we were trying this.

"I guess we're going to need to find another finish line," Emmett said as he stepped up behind me.

"You can pick this one," I grinned and turned to him, "I'll still beat you." Leaning up, I pressed a soft kiss on his dimpled cheek as he let out a chuckle.

"Kids hurry and get unpacked," Esme called as she moved about the kitchen, setting out the props. "Tomorrow you start school."

I wrinkled my nose at the idea of having to go through school yet again. We hadn't been to an actual school for the past three years, since Rosalie came into the family but we kept up on our studies with the help of Carlisle's many books, which also meant school was going to be just as boring as ever. With a chuckle, Emmett tapped the tip of my wrinkled nose, making me smile.

"It can't be that bad," He grinned as we started towards the stairs.

"Oh the first time is fine," I shrugged.

"…it's the second, third, fourth…" Edward named off.

"You both know that it's important to go to school," Carlisle spoke as he moved through the door and up the stairs with a large box of books.

"Yes," we both groaned.

oOo

Sitting down on the couch in my room, I fastened the strap of my moderate heels around my ankle then stood up to move over to the mirror on the back of my closet door. Brushing out my cream, and pink floral crepe day dress and straightened the bow on the neck before brushing back the bronze colored waves that I had pinned up at the nape of my neck. Fastening the Cullen crest locket—which now contained a small drawing of Emmett—around my neck, I finished off the outfit with my mother's garnet and diamond flower ring, slipping it on my middle finger and pinning the dragonfly pin up in my hair.

In one hour we would be heading into Hoquiam High School for the beginning of the year and while I didn't exactly aim to impress, I didn't want to look horrible. Stepping out of my room I walked across the hall and past Noah's to Emmett's at the end. Giving a soft knock, I heard him call to come in and pushed open the door.

"Ready?" I asked with a smile and leaned against the door, watching as he pulled on his brown waistcoat over the white button up.

"Almost," he stated and turned to me, but paused in mid button of the waistcoat as he looked over me. Slowly a wide smile spread over his face, making his dimples show.

"What?" I questioned with a small giggle.

"It's just you are so beautiful," He smiled and moved towards me.

"It comes with the lifestyle," I replied a bit embarrassedly.

"Nope, I've seen the pictures," he said with a shake of the head, talking about the few pictures of me from when I was a human.

"Well thank you," I smiled to him and reached up, straightening his tie a little bit and teasingly, ignoring what I knew he truly wanted. Reaching down, I continued buttoning up his waistcoat as he let out a small childish frown. "Something wrong?" I asked innocently.

"No, nothing," he answered getting the smile back.

"Good," I chirped and pulled on his tie slightly, pulling him down a little more to my height and placing a soft kiss on his lips. He broke away with another large smile, which he always seemed to get after even a simple peck on the cheek. "Now get your blazer on," I nodded to the matching brown jacket on the closet door.

Racing over he grabbed it and both of us started down the stairs where Edward was already waiting, just tuning up his piano a little bit from the move. Soon enough Noah and then finally Rose showed up down stairs and we all moved into the car. Having thought about this extensively last night I quickly grabbed the keys but before Rose could utter the words, Edward must have caught Rose's concealed thought right as she brought it up because he called the front seat.

"I hate you," she muttered as she passed him by and moved to slide into the back with the rowdy brothers who were almost annoyingly excited for their first day now that they had gotten together.

"Yeah, well don't really care right now," He shrugged and slid in as I started up the new Ford which was another thing that would set us apart from the other kids in the small farming town but how were we supposed to get to school. There was no way that Carlisle could drive us all in his car, we couldn't exactly run, and locking five vampires in a bus, especially two newborns didn't exactly sit well with any of us, even if they had just fed early this morning.

As I pulled past the wooden sign saying that we were coming up on Hoquiam High School, Home of the Grizzlies we all seemed to share the same thought and gave a few chuckles. "Now, no eating any Grizzlies you two," Edward joked to Emmett and Noah who had found a certain fondness for bears after everything. Both laughed as I pulled in and those already in the parking lot immediately looked to the new people. Edward gave another small chuckle and sly smile, undoubtingly picking up some thoughts.

"Alright, boys and girl, let's meet some humans," I murmured unenthusiastically as we stepped out of the car and started up to the school to start out the next three long years for Edward and Noah while Rose, Emmett and I thankfully only had two.

oOo

Eight long hours of math, history, science, English, and in Rose's and my case home economics and finally we were back home and free to breath, literally. Throughout the day, especially at the lunch break we had little scares where a human would get too close to Noah or Emmett, just accidentally brush up against them and I would see Edward flip his eyes to them but otherwise there was nothing.

"So do I get a reward for not killing anyone today?" Emmett spoke from my door as I stood at the vanity, unpinning my hair.

"You have such a delicate way with words, Sweetheart," I teased without thinking, but instantly caught it, pausing mid-way of pulling out a pin as I saw his smile grow into a wide grin.

"Did you just call me sweetheart?" He started in and I was really glad that everyone but Esme was out of the house because I wouldn't ever hear the end of this.

"Did I?" I asked innocently as I continued in taking out my hair, and moving it over my shoulder to brush it out.

"Yes you did," he replied coming up behind me in the mirror, giving that dimpled grin. "So does that mean I can call you honey?" Looking at him through the mirror I couldn't help the wide grin as he wound his arms around my waist, overlapping them on my stomach.

"If you were inclined to," I smirked slightly as I sat my brush back on the dresser and slowly turned to face him, wrapping my hands around the back of his neck.

"Alright, Honey," he spoke, leaning down. Seeming to know what he was going in for, I tipped my head up but was a bit wrong, and let out a small giggle as he placed a gently kiss on the tip of my nose. Quickly, though, my giggles built into full blown laughing as he jokingly moved over to the side, placing pecks all over my face.

"Emmett," I laughed trying to pull away but he just followed.

"I don't respond to Emmett anymore," He spoke, placing a kiss at the corner of my mouth, but pulled back slightly, smiling to me.

"Sweetheart," I emphasized, brushing my fingers through the curls at the nape of his neck and he closed his eyes, as if relishing it, just like every time I did it. "I am very proud that you didn't kill anyone today," I whispered and he gave a wide pride filled smile. Leaning up I pressed my lips to his in a soft kiss.


	11. Chapter 11

I raced through the tree with Rose to my right and then moving all the way to Edward on the right flank, creating a line seven long for a family hunting day pretty much. Today Carlisle had decided to call us in sick based on the weather and it was pretty fortunate because now the sun was high in the sky sending diamonds across our skin as we ran through the forest. It had been four months since we started school where the only problem had been a few of the braver souls having tried to ask Rose and me to homecoming which did please Noah or Emmett at all. But with them playing our "brothers" it just best that we did go at all, and Edward hadn't really ever been one to go to dances anyhow, so that was another of our family vacation weekends. Overall though, Hoquiam had been a nice place for us. The people we nice, but gave us our space. Carlisle seemed to really like his position at the hospital and the almost permanent cloud cover let us lead a relatively normal life. The only thing that weird was when hunting we always seemed to encounter this weird smell, just like I did now.

"There it is again," I spoke to the others, picking up the sort of strong wet dog trail as we ran up towards Canada. "Smells fresh, too."

"We should follow it, see what it is," Emmett voiced.

"I don't know," Esme spoke worriedly.

"We're not going to figure out what it is unless we do," Noah voiced, both brothers carrying the same reckless qualities just as I hit an area that was so strong that it stopped me in my tracks. Reaching up, I slapped my hand over my mouth and nose as I skidded across the ground, having stopped so fast.

"Wait!" Edward shouted in obvious alarm right as I heard thundering paws racing around. By the rhythm of the large padding of the four paws and the thudding heart I could hear that it was larger than any animal I had ever seen. "Gen!" He shouted out even louder just as I flipped around and saw a huge wolf tear out of the trees behind me.

Instantly my instincts kicked in and I didn't even think before jumping up and flipping back onto a tree branch. It snarled and snapped at me, jumping up and quickly I jumped up, grabbing a higher branch, pulling myself up onto it as the monstrous foul smelling wolf grabbed the branch and tore it from the tree.

"Rosalie!" Edward shouted out and flipping around, I ignored the wolf and took off towards my sister, leaping across the tree branches but the wolf kept up. It moved through the trees far faster and more nimble than a regular wolfs would; it wasn't normal by any means. Of course she was right in a clearing that was quickly being surrounded by what I could see now was three large wolves. Leaping out of the tree I landed right beside her, both of us flipping around with growls to try and keep them in our eye line. Seeing that they weren't bound to be food I kicked into my defense mechanism, sounding the heartbeat and flipping my eye color around, also in hopes that if one leapt at me I would be able to stop it with compulsion. But I had never compelled an animal before.

"They aren't animals," Edward said in confusion as he leapt in the clearing next to us, having out run the others.

"What do you mean they aren't animals," Rose growled, which was echoed by the largest and closest one to us. "They are large, hairy, and look an awful lot like a wolf."

"I mean they have human thoughts coming from that one," He nodded towards the one that had growled. "They're confused by us, especially Gen's heartbeat. They know what we are." The wolf let out another growl as if to agree just as the rest of our family joined us, Emmett quickly moving up to my side.

"What's happening now," Carlisle questioned as he moved to the front of us, facing the largest wolf.

"They're not sure what to do because now their outnumbered," Edward answered.

"Can they understand us?" Carlisle asked in confusion and just as Edward nodded the largest let out another growl as if to answer for himself. "We won't attack you if you don't attack us," Carlisle spoke cautiously and the one to left bared its teeth.

"They're human," Edward relayed the information in surprise. "They have come across our kind before; our kind has killed their people before and they have become protectors of their tribe."

"We don't wish to harm your people," Carlisle spoke to the large wolves. "We're different from those that you've come across. We don't feed off human blood. Look at our eyes; they aren't the red that those before us were." I turned off the illusion quickly as I saw the largest wolves eyes scan over us, slowly and critically as we just stood there. Then Edward spoke.

"He says that if we're telling the truth then we won't mind following them to another place," Edward relayed and we all looked to Carlisle who gave a visible swallow but nodded in agreement. Then unsure of whether they were just leading us to more wolves and therefore our death, or at least a fight we followed. Soon we found ourselves in their land and surprisingly in front of the human forms of the wolves. They seemed to believe in us enough that they were willing to leave us alone with some conditions which were easy enough to stick to: staying off their—the Quileute's—land and basically not biting a human.

Still uneasy though, we moved home and I didn't really feel safe until we got into the house because the fact was that while there was three of them, if they were to single one of us out they could take us down. And by the looks of it, I could see that most of the family felt exactly like that, with the exclusion of Emmett and Noah.

"Have you ever seen something like that?" Esme finally broke the silence as we gathered in the living room.

"Well, there are creatures in Europe and Asia, the Children of the Moon or werewolves as they are more commonly known, but they obviously aren't them. They completely forget their humanity when changed and they only change when there's a full moon and Edward could still understand these in their wolf form," Carlisle answered, sitting down on the couch as we all just looked at him.

"So…what do we do?" I voiced what all of us were wondering as I leaned back against the couch beside Emmett.

"Well, they rely on privacy as much as we do. Just make sure to stay away from the line," He answered. "But just to be safe don't go out alone until we're sure that they are going to stick to the treaty."

"All of them were sincere in their thoughts," Edward voiced.

"See, there's nothing to be worried about," Noah brushed it off.

"Besides, do you really think they would attack us when we outnumber them so much," Emmett added and I pursed my lips slightly, understanding their points but it was still unsettling to know that someone so close to us could possibly attack and kill one of my family.

Falling into another silence we all seemed to have come to an agreement and split up in order to get ready for another day at school which was in only a few hours. Moving into the large closet I set about to pick out an outfit as I heard Rose step into our shared shower when Emmett walked up to the closed door. "Yes?" I questioned softly, turning to him as I brought out the skirt and shirt I was wearing along with grabbing some heels.

Pushing open the door, he gave me that signature Emmett smile, showing off his magnificent dimples. "I just wanted to come in and see that you were alright," he murmured to which I raised an eyebrow. "Call it my protective side, even though I know you can take plenty care of yourself."

"I'm fine, Em," I grinned and walked over placing a soft kiss on his lips. Reaching forward he took hold of my sides just holding me in front of him as he grinned down at me. "What?" I giggled slightly.

"I'm trying to get all of my staring time in for the eight hours that I have to pretend I don't have these feelings for you," He answered. Tossing my clothes over onto the couch, I made it even easier for him and wrapped my arms up around his neck and watched his smile widen slightly just as there was a definite groan from across the hall: Edward.

"Oh, shut up, will you?" I called.

"I already have to deal with Rosalie and Noah, I don't want to have to deal with two more," He argued.

"Go take a run then," I retorted and moved away from Emmett, moving to my door and looking across the hall into his bedroom.

"Genevieve, try to be considerate to your brother's abilities," Esme called up the stairs.

"But…" I moved to protest as Edward gave a small smirk.

"Edward," She cut me off, "be considerate to your sister's relationship." I gave an equally snide smirk. "And both of you get ready for school." Narrowing our eyes to each other, three other small chuckles sounded through the house, especially one behind me as we moved back into our rooms.

"Out," I pointed to the door as I looked to the still chuckling Emmett and continuing to chuckle slightly as he moved past me, pausing slightly he bent down and pecked my lips once more before retreating out of the room.


	12. Chapter 12

In the months that followed the Quileute's stuck to their side of the treaty just as we did, neither of us running into each other's scent at all unless you trailed along the line of their land and ours. We also fell into our old patterns of school: becoming the popular outcasts because we didn't mingle with them and their instincts told them not to mingle with us. After school we would go home and fall into our hobbies after simply finishing up our work in the first few moments. Then before we knew it the summer hit and Carlisle decided that it was time we go up to meet our cousins—what we called another coven which had quickly become good friends when we first met a couple years ago.

While looking for a new place to settle down after Esme had adjusted to the lifestyle and we were moving up north, we had run into them and they had mostly come to investigate us and both groups were surprised to find that we had the same vegetarian lifestyle. Since meeting they had come to visit Carlisle, Esme, and I when Edward was off on his own, now it was time to go up and visit them since we had three new members and they had two.

We drove up to Denali with the newly redone cars thanks to Rosalie who had surprisingly taken an interest in cars over our months in Hoquiam. As soon as we arrived there was the normal greeting from the three sisters to Esme, Carlisle, Edward and I, especially Tanya to Edward, then we moved around and introduced Rosalie, Noah, and Emmett while they introduced Eleazar and Carmen. Both were amazingly nice and I was surprised to find that Eleazar had been part of the Volturi guard as we all got better acquainted once in their house. I think Edward and I had surprised him a bit also because he said that while he had seen something like our abilities—especially Edwards, which the leader of the Volturi had something similar to—there was nothing to measure us.

He found Edward's skill set almost above Aro's because while Aro heard every thought the person's ever had he needed to touch the person while Edward got a constant stream from every mind around him. In terms of my gift he had come across those that could make the suggestions which you almost felt the need to follow but not the full out compulsion I could give someone and they would have to follow it out when I had my illusion up.

After getting acquainted though we fell into a basically simplistic trip up to our cousins. All the guys bonded with Eleazar and us girls stuck around and while they got to know Rosalie we got to know Carmen. Quickly the month long vacation wound down and we were being forced by Esme and Carlisle to head back to the home of the Grizzlies: Hoquiam High.

With only a week left the guys had all decided to head out on a long hunting trip up to the north in order get in the local cuisine while we girls stayed home to have almost a sleep over. But now, with a day left we had run through all the movies and done all the makeover stuff which none of us needed, leaving me with only the need to paint the family portrait for the Denali's. So, using the supplies we had run into the nearest city to buy I sat down in the kitchen and got to work, painting all the sisters and Carmen and Eleazar in front of their wonderful home.

That is until, right as I was applying the final touches, hands suddenly covered my eyes. Pausing mid stroke I breathed in and took in the very familiar scent of Emmett, causing a wide smile to come to my lips. "You always shut everything out when you're finishing a painting," he said in almost amazement as he drew back his hands and I turned to face him.

"Well, I would never get done if I didn't," I answered and tipped my head up. Getting what I wanted he didn't even hesitate before leaning down and placing a kiss against my lips.

"Are you done?" He asked while pulling away and looking over me to it.

"Maybe another half an hour," I voiced, looking back towards it.

"Alright, well I'm going to go get cleaned up. Then will you meet me out back after you've finished?" He asked and as I looked up to him I noticed that he seemed to be a bit nervous, something which Emmett never was.

"Sure," I answered a bit skeptically. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah," He answered, obviously trying to hide it as he gave a wide smile. "See you out there."

"Okay," I nodded and he leaned down once again, placing a kiss against my cheek before hurrying up the stairs. Unable to go back into my quite place I listened to him moving around upstairs then out on the deck while finishing up the painting before finally calling it done. Worriedly, I moved into the dining room and actually heard the number of feet move above me, over to what I knew was a large window as I stepped out onto the deck only to see the speck which could only be Emmett standing out in what was a large snow covered expanse. Just abandoning the shoes, I started down the steps and out onto the snow after looking up to the window to see everyone crowded around it. A little anxious for what was going too happened, I didn't exactly rush out to where he was leaning up against a tree, and instead just walked up to him.

"What's going on, Em?" I questioned and watched as he scanned over what I was wearing before he let out a small chuckle. "What?"

"It's just, this is almost what you were wearing when I first woke up," he murmured and moved forward, brushing back my curled hair and tucking it behind my ear. Looking down, I scanned over the similarly styled dress, except for this one had sleeves down to the elbows, but otherwise it was the same thing with my hair down and barefoot.

"I'm sort of getting a little anxious, Emmett," I murmured, glancing back to the house where I could hear them whispering, the girls all asking what was going on only to have the guys hush them, and then back to him.

"That makes two of us," he chuckled, increasing my worry and curiosity.

"Emmett," I huffed slightly, not liking this one bit, and pushed against his shoulders slightly. "What is going on?"

Suddenly he just dropped to one knee, right in front of me in the snow and my eyes grew to the size of plates as I looked to him. I hadn't expected this in a million years. It was out of the blue, not a single hint to pick up on and officially rendered me speechless.

"Ever since that first blurry memory I knew that I loved you and after fighting so hard to finally get you to admit that you love me too," he gave a small half smile as I finally just started to process what exactly was happening, "I could only imagine one thing that could make life better and that would be to marry you. So," he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small silver ring with one sparkling round diamond in the center of a hexagon setting which was surrounded with lacy filigree, "Genevieve Grace Masen Cullen, will you marry me?"

I had to work to even find the word I wanted to say, literally form it letter by letter until I finally stifled out a soft, "yes."

Reaching out he took my hand with a wide smile as I just continued to stare at him, but finally started getting my own wide smile as he slid it onto my finger. Standing back up in front of me, he still kept a hold on my hand which I was staring at. It just seemed to amaze me somehow. I never thought I would have had this when I first woke up, but now I did. Everything that I dreamed about in my human life was coming true right now, and I never would have gotten without dying which was a bit ironic. The idea made my smile grow and I finally looked up to my perfect man, so different from those that had come before him and just what I was always looking for. Not someone to protect me and hover over me, or just go along with what I was saying or expecting me to but standing equal with me, right by my side.

"Are you sure you want to marry me?" He questioned after a moment as he smiled down at me.

Instantly it was like the excitement kicked in and I pulled my hand from his and quickly jumped up, securing them around his neck. "Yes," I giggled slightly as he wrapped his arms tightly around my waist. "Of course I'm sure," I whispered and pulled back slightly to look at him seconds before we met in a kiss and I heard sighs of what I hope was relief back at the house.


	13. Chapter 13

In the year that followed a few things changed including Rosalie actually almost ignoring me for the first few months that we were back to school, but that changed as soon as Noah proposed to her over Christmas break. After that she was much happier and actually helped Esme and I with the wedding preparations for my wedding, now that she could happily imagine things for her wedding next year after Noah graduated. Then on top of that both Emmett and I had been looking at places, for when we moved out on our own after the wedding and finally decided on upstate New York. There we could get away with the whole break from the busy city story with the fact that neither of us were planning on working for a while, and I wanted to be within driving distance from it because of all the shopping.

We had everything set up from a house that Esme had designed then also furnished as a gift from her and Carlisle, and we even had most of our stuff there, all we needed to do was get married and that was the thing I was most worried about at the moment. I was ready with my amazing a-line dress on, something which Rosalie had helped me immensely with, designed by both of us and specially made for me. It had an ivory silk, strapless, bottom layer that then was sewn into an ivory lace top layer that went up high on the back of my neck and then narrowed down into a V at the top of the silk layer. Then the lace also made up my cathedral train and the sleeves.

I struggled not to mess with the elegant curls that Esme had done in my hair so that they would cascade down my back just as Emmett liked. Then for the veil she had brought back a few pieces for the silver jewel encrusted comb.

Trying to minimize my nervous movements, so the room full of vampires wouldn't hear, I restrained myself to tugging at the lace sleeve gently and gripping the orange and ivory anemone bouquet as I moved behind the chapel doors. It wasn't a large crowd, maybe half the chapel was full of family friends, including the Denali's but knowing that they and Emmett could hear every shift was even more unnerving.

"Ready?" Edward moved up behind me with a smile on his face, knowing oh so well what was going through my mind and all I could give was a nod as Rosalie stepped up behind him dressed in her tulle dress that had orange flowers scattered along the skirt. She looked amazing with her hair wound up in a curled up do, but assured me that I would knock everyone dead in a whisper as she straightened out my veil and pulled the blushed over my face. Picking up her bouquet I listened as the music started and she moved out the doors and up towards the aisle. Then the music changed into Pachelbel's Canon and I steeled myself for what I was going to find in that room. Taking my hand, Edward linked it on the hook in his elbow as he smiled over at me then we turned the corner to stand in front of the door.

I didn't even pause to look at the people lined up on either side of the aisle, I just focused right in on the dimpled smile of Emmett at the end, looking oh so dashing in his dark grey tux. His small smile instantly widened and all my nerves dissappeared as I thought of actually being married to this perfect man. The decorations that I had drawn up to the last white ribbon blurred together as I returned the smile from behind my veil.

Finally I got to the end and as Edward stepped up behind Noah, Carlisle walked forward and took the blusher, gently folding it back before leaning forward and kissing me on the cheek. I hardly paid attention to the minister as he ran through the ceremony up to the vows and tried to keep a smile on my face and not giggle at the goofy wide smile that Emmett had as he kept glancing to me. Then it came to the vows, something that we had written ourselves and I felt those bit of nerves bubble up as everyone looked to me.

"Emmett," I breathed out softly as I looked up to his wide grin and couldn't help but let out a small giggle. "When it came to life before you, I didn't have much to look forward to. I didn't see myself finding that happiness that Carlisle and Esme had in their lives, and that something that I had wanted all my life. Then I first saw you and that hope that I had long since abandoned came back. That is why I vow to always stand by your side through thick and thin, because you fought so hard to get me by your sidewhen all I wanted to do was avoid it. That is why I vow to always try to understand you, because you worked so hard to understand me. And that is why I vow to love you with all my heart for all eternity, because you brought me to life again." Looking up in his eyes I couldn't help but want to lean up and kiss him so badly as we shared identical wide smiles.

"I guess it's my turn now," he chuckled slightly, getting a few snickers from all the vampires sitting to the side of us. "I'm not usually one to say these types of things. I usually lay it all out there bluntly as you so eloquently put it once, so I thought maybe the best way to show you how much I love you is with my last and first memories. The first time I saw you it was a blur, but you stopped the pain temporarily, you stopped the bear. Then I got the chance to finally look at you and knew that I was either dying or dead because an angel was with me; an angel I was surprised stayed with me all through hell even as God kept coming in to check on me. Then I woke up and both Carlisle and my angel explained everything to me, and seemed to be amazed at how easily I was taking everything. But see, what you didn't realize then is that I didn't care if I was in hell because I got to keep my stubborn angel with me." I don't think that my smile could have gotten any wider as his hand gently squeezed mine. "That is why I vow to always love you and stay by your side, because that is all I ever wanted since the first time I saw you."

There were more awes as the minister continued on with the ceremony, exchanging the rings and then finally came the part that I had been waiting for. "I now declare you to be husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Not even pausing for a second Emmett pulled me over to him, dipping me into a kiss. Curving my hand up into his curls I smiled into it, unable to help it until he brought me back up and we linked fingers, raising them above our heads as the applause and Noah's wolf whistles continued.

oOo

After a couple hours of socializing and dancing with a variety of guests back at the house Emmett and I were finally able to make our escape; what we had really wanted to do all night. "Remember to call all the time," Esme, the most tearful of the whole family spoke as we piled up the remainder of our bags in the car. I'm sure if she could have cried then she would have been sobbing.

"I will mom," I whispered into her ear and leaned in pecking her cheek as we hugged. "And I'll make sure Emmett does too."

"Good," she nodded as I pulled back and moved into Carlisle's arms, sharing the hug and it was time for me to get teary eyed because without him, I wouldn't have had any of this.

"Thank you," I breathed out, smiling to him and he gave his own back before pulling me in for a tight hug.

"Come back and visit a lot," He spoke as we moved away and I nodded in agreement. It was almost weird, because while both Edward and I had left home before this was different. This time I really was leaving to live with my husband and at least for a little bit the family home would be just that, a place to visit but not my home.

"You better be good to my sister," Edward, for the first time since Emmett came into the family, kicked into the brotherly act; I suspect because, since that first thought of me in Emmett's head he hadn't seen a reason to. "Treat her right."

"I will," Emmett smiled confidently and it seemed to appease him because they each moved into their own hug, the last of the family. Pulling away we linked hands and started down to the road where the car, a gift from Rosalie-who had tuned up—Noah, and Edward, was waiting for us. Opening the door for me he pulled back and I slid in, careful of the dress that I had changed into for the drive, and before I even really thought about the fact that I was actually married and leaving home, a sort of dream I had always had, all of them had disappeared from view.


	14. Chapter 14

_Warning: Adult themes...which is why it's rated M..._

* * *

We drove through the night towards our next home for at least a couple weeks: a beach house on the South Carolina coast. It was a family owned property, having been a gift from Carlisle for Esme on her birthday about ten years ago and where we had vacationed that summer after she remodeled it. However since then it had sort of become a catch all for our things because it was so small, but as we pulled up to the simple two story cottage with grey siding and a wraparound porch I couldn't imagine a better honeymoon house.

Emmett didn't seem to be able to contain his excitement either as he barely had turn off the engine when he was at my door and actually lifting me out of the car. "What are you doing?" I let out a small giggle as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"I'm carrying my wife over the threshold," He answered eagerly and while I was overjoyed at that word wife I was a little worried what he was so excited about. Because, I didn't think that he was excited about the same things I was; in fact I think I was really nervous about what he was excited about.

Pushing open the door, I looked around to the living room which you could tell was recently clean by the staff but not much had changed with the comfortable looking couches and light varnished wooden tables. Stooping down, Emmett touched my heels to the ground and I didn't even have the opportunity to look back through the doorway and kitchen to one of the best views in the state as the butterflies just seemed to well in my stomach. I didn't even need to have Edward's abilities to tell that the exact same thing was running through both our minds as we looked to each other and even though it had gone through my mind many times before as he pressed me up against a tree in the forest, or hovered above me on the couch there was always that barrier. Now that barrier was gone and I couldn't even remember how to form a simple word.

He didn't seem to have that same problem, though as he leaned down and pressed his lips against mine gently. But then he surprisingly pulled away, taking off his jacket and moved over to the record player. Licking over my lips, I moved over to the chair by the telephone table and pulled off my shoes. Working at it, I struggled to not pay attention to the sound of his now bare feet moving towards me.

"Dance with me," He spoke softly and looked up at his dimpled smile. I tried to give an effortless smile to mimic it as I reached up and took his hand. Pulling me into a spin, we started dancing to another of my favorite songs: Cheek to Cheek. "Gen," he whispered after a few moments and I pulled back from our hold slightly to look up at him, "it's just you and me; just Emmett and Genevieve, nothing new."

Licking over my suddenly dry lips again, I pulled my hand from his and wound it up around the back of his neck with the other as both his hands slipped down over my waist and around to my lower back. Pulling him down to my level I leaned up and pressed my lips to his in a soft kiss, but as we swayed it seemed to pick up with the music until we were exploring each other mouths, something that we had done many times before but then the barrier started to crumble. I felt his fingers on one hand shift around against my lower back and then the tight dress started to release as he worked nimbly, undoing the buttons that ran down my spine. Both nervously and excitedly my breathing picked up as I felt his other hand trail behind, his fingertips brushing over my bare back. Bringing my own hands down I found myself moving to the vest, undoing it and then pulling on the hem of his button up to un-tuck it without even really thinking about it, but before I could start on unbuttoning it, he reached the last button. Pulling away slightly, every other sense just seemed to fade out as I concentrated of the feel of his lips moving off mine and down my neck to my shoulder as he pulled the dress over both of them. It was almost amazing to me that someone so…well Emmett like…could have such a gentle touch as he kissed and caressed my shoulders while maneuvering the dress over them.

Moving my arms down, I worked to slip them out of the sleeves as he pushed it down to the floor leaving me feeling more exposed I had ever been in front of a man. Even though I knew that I wasn't ugly, thanks to the vampire factor it was hard not to feel self-conscious as he pulled back and looked down at me.

Yet again he seemed to read me expertly as he moved his hands up and caressed either side of my face. "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," he whispered and leaned in pressing his lips back against mine. Smiling against his lips, I moved my hands back up to his shirt and started flipping the buttons in order to reveal that perfect muscular chest. Peeling it off his shoulders, I took my turn and moved my lips off his and over his neck, down to his chest.

Suddenly he stooped down, grabbing me by my thighs and picked me up. Wrapped my arms around his neck, I tangled my hands up into his curls as I kept my lips attached to his neck. Maneuvering his hand around, I heard the snap and felt the pressure of the garters release as he pressed me back against the wall. It was then that the warm feeling inside of me seemed to focus down in my lower half as his hand slid down one of my legs softly, taking the stocking with it, and surprising both of us, I think, I gave a mixture of a growl and a moan in the back of my throat. I just paused for a moment with my lips hovering over his shoulder as he let out a small mischievous smile and switched his hand before painstakingly slow, started to move it down my leg. "Emmett," I growled out again and nipped at his neck gently and just as surprising as my growl he let out his own and just yanked the rest of the stocking off before gripping onto my thighs again and pulling me away from the wall.

"Upstairs," I whispered into his ear and he didn't even pause before taking off up the staircase as I crashed my lips back onto his. Emerging in the only bedroom, he knelt down on the bed and laid me back so he was just hovering over me. The butterflies in my stomach were ceased by the fire in my core as I reached down and grabbed the waist of his pants, undoing them. And trying not to be the inexperienced person that I was, I trailed my fingertips slightly under the waistband of his shorts, teasing and got another moan out of him. Quickly he pulled his pants off and flipped us both over so I was straddling him as his hands moved to my hips, over the garter belt which I could feel him trying to undo as I kissed across his chest. Getting an idea, I just flipped my tongue out across the middle of his chest and then all I heard was shredding fabric as he tore it off.

Grabbing his shoulders, I flipped us back over and hooked my legs up on his hips and instantly his lips went to my neck, putting me through the torture that I had been giving him. I tried to regulate my unneeded breaths, but just ended up holding it as he kiss down to my chest. With the warmth pooling between my legs I didn't even hesitate to tip my hips up and into him right as his mouth over the silk causing it to cling as he flicked his tongue over before grazing his teeth over my flesh. In surprise and excitement I let out a gasp and wished that the silk barrier between his lips and my flesh would just disappear but I couldn't help but feel if I let go of his shoulders that I might just float away or melt into the bed. Thankfully he seemed to want it just as bad and unlike with the garter he didn't even bother with the hook and just tore it off before starting to suck and nip at my flesh.

"Oh my…" I whispered out as I both arched up my chest into him and pressed my hips up against his. Reaching down, he pushed me back onto the bed, making my legs unhook from around his waist, confusing me for a minute moment then I was plunged back into pleasure as his hand moved in between my legs. Taking in another gasp, I gripped tighter onto his shoulders as once again all other senses faded into only being able to concentrate on how he was touching and kissing me. The whole world could have been falling apart around me and I wouldn't have noticed as his fingers moved.

Letting out a mixture of a gasp and a moan I tipped my head back and I moved my hips into his rhythmic movements. It was almost as if I didn't have control of my movements as I pressed my feet into the mattress then suddenly the wave just crashed and where I only had one sense before everything seemed to burst now.

Before the high had even faded full I pulled away from him and flipped us over completely in one smooth movement so that I was on top of him and we were facing the foot of the bed. Now it was my turn to rip something of him and didn't even bother with pulling off his shorts, just tearing them away. Looking up at him, I saw the bit of surprise but mostly anxiousness and mischievousness on his face. Sitting up, he pulled me in as tight to him as possible and almost painfully slow even for a human we came together. Simultaneously we both let out mixtures of both groans and moans, mine stifled into the crook of his neck.

Pushing him back onto the bed, I steadied myself by putting my hands on his chest as I moved on top of him. "Gen," he moaned out almost as I slowly moved in a circle and he reached forward and gripped onto my hips and quickly flipped us around, so I was on my back and I barely registered the crack and snap of wood as he grabbed my legs and moved into me with a quickening rhythm. Letting out my own moan of pleasure I felt that wave building again. Reaching up, I grabbed onto his curls and pulled his head down to mine, both of us meeting in a passionate kiss.

I heard the smash of glass but didn't think to pull away from the position we were in until my movements started to go out of my complete control again and I had to tip my head back as my back arched up with the rising wave. It seemed like he had more than two hands as they moved to the apex of my legs, down to my ankles and then up to my chest; he was caressing and rubbing every inch of skin. Reaching above me, in hopes of bringing me down to the ground so I could hold onto this mounting pleasure a little longer, I gripped onto the wooden headboard but it just seemed to crumble under my hold. I tried my feet, planting them firmly on the mattress and causing the metal springs to groan in protest, but I didn't care as he latched onto my neck, moaning into the kiss and causing the crest to break and the pleasure to wash all around me much harder that before. Every single one of my muscles seemed to arch up into him, as I wrapped my arms under his and pressed my nails into his shoulder blades, the scratching screeching in protest. Then I felt his crash with me, giving a groan as one of his hands gripped onto my hip, just holding me against him as he continued to move. Pulling me up once more to sit so I straddled across his lap but still staying connected, I shifted my arms to drape around his neck and pressed my face into the crook as I rode out the wave, my feet pointing so hard that my toes curled.

After a few almost torturously pleasurable, long moments I finally was able to relax and tipped my head back up only to be pulled into a passionate, loving kiss because neither of us were even close to being satisfied, me least of all I think after the amount of pleasure I had just tasted.

oOo

Just not bothering to find clothing, I wrapped the sheet around me after toweling off from the bath and started through the wrecked house. Emmett and I had been pretty busy over the past couple days, never seeming to be able to keep our hands off each other but finally I had to stop before my hair became one big rats nest or we completely destroyed this house and everything in it. I mean the bedroom was completely in shambles, the bed frame having completely broken and the remnants ending up in the middle of the room after our first bought. It was then that we got adventurous, eventually creating an actual hole through wall and into the study from the hallway, along with multiple dents and ruined tables. Then there was also the crack in the sink in the bathroom and the broken faucet, and that was only upstairs.

Tying the ends in a knot I shuffled the splinters of wood from the banister out of the way on the stairs as I retreated down and into the kitchen where I spotted Emmett out the window on the porch, under the overcast skies in nothing more than his under shorts.

"You know people can see you," I whispered, speaking of the number of houses a few minutes' walk down the beach not to mention the stray peoplen walking on the sand, as I stepped up to the screen door and he craned his neck around, giving me that wide smile.

"So," he shrugged and giving my own I moved out to the only part of the house that wasn't in ruin. Falling back to sit in his lap I moved one of my arms around the back of his neck as he wrapped his around my waist. "Feel better, Wife?" He asked with the smile that didn't seem to want to go away, which I was fine with.

"I feel amazing, Husband," I giggled and leaned in for a kiss, which he happily gave. "But," I spoke as I pulled back slightly, "I think we might need to just buy a new house for Carlisle and Esme."

"Well if we're going to just buy them a new house then we have a lot more that we can destroy," he grinned mischievously and started running his hand up my thigh.

"Ah," I halted him for the moment by grabbing his hand, "I kind of want to go to the beach…get in the water."

Letting out a long sigh, jokingly, he gave a roll of the eyes and a nod, "I guess if that's what you want to do."

"Well then I'll get it out of my system and we have a whole month left," I purred softly and pulled up the sheet so I could shift around to face him. "One whole month to do nothing but demolish this house to the ground."

"Well come on," he lifted me up and stood in one fluid motion, "the sooner I get you in that swimming suit the sooner I can get you out of it." Giggling, I leaned in pressing my lips to his once again as he rushed in the house.


	15. Chapter 15

"You know we're going to have to be careful with this house right," I spoke with a slight giggle as I turned to face him in the car as we drove up to New York. We had spent more time than original down in North Carolina making sure that the renovators were under way on restoring the destroyed house which was being attributed to a break in.

"Maybe we should get another house?" He smirked over at me and my giggle turned to a laugh as I laid my legs over his lap.

"That would be awfully wasteful," I tsked, but with a smile.

"Yeah," his smirk grew slightly and placed his hand on my knee, slowly moving up to the hem of my skirt and under, "but it would be lots of fun."

Grabbing onto his hand as it reached my mid-thigh, I got my own smirk which I seemed to be doing even more now and scooted forward slightly so I was right beside him. I couldn't even help the ideas that sparked in my mind as I guided it up higher and around to the back of my thigh. "A little cabin up in the woods?" I asked and he gave a nod just before he gave his fingers a small flick and the garter clip was undone. Giving a laugh and roll of the eyes I pushed his hand out from under my skirt and quickly redid it. "Can't you think of anything else?" I chastised jokingly.

"Nope, you walking around without a stich on is constantly in the forefront of my mind," He grinned mischievously and I shoved his shoulder slightly as I leaned back against the door. "Are you saying I'm not?" He gave a faux gasp and put his hand back on my thigh, but this time over my skirt. Biting my lip slightly, I wasn't going to give him the pleasure of knowing that the image of him in a similar predicament was constantly running through my thought, so I just stayed silent.

"So Mr. Sports Writer have you decided what you're going to say your book's about?" I changed the subject with a smile, talking about our cover story.

He gave a chuckle and squeezed my thigh while giving a shake of the head. "We could change it so I'm the stay at home husband and you have the job."

"That would make waves," I smiled and tipped back my head to rest it against the window as I closed my eyes.

"Trying to go to sleep?" he joked.

Still keeping my eyes closed, I let out another small smile and a shrug. "Don't you ever wish that you could sleep, just to dream?" I asked.

"Everything that I could dream about I already have," He answered and I peeked open one eye to see him smiling at me. Unable to help it, my smile widened considerably as I closed my eyes again.

"Well, I've gotten everything that I ever dreamed about, but it'd still be nice I think," I spoke.

"And what did you use to dream about?" He asked.

"Well," I chirped slightly and clicked my tongue as I opened my eyes and just looked to his profile. "Living a long life with a large family and having the perfect husband." Instantly I watched his small smirk turn into a wide dimpled smile. "One that would make me laugh and smile all the time, even when I was mad," Grinning myself, I scooted forward slightly and leaned forward, "and he would love me no matter what."

"All that huh?" He smiled over to me and I gave a nod, "I guess I can do that."

"Good," I giggled slightly and as he leaned over I pressed my lips against his in a soft kiss. "And if you don't I can just make you."

"I'm alright with that," he smirked as we pulled back from each other and I leaned back against the door again. "As long as you're happy," he spoke mostly seriously but I could hear the teasing edge, inspiring me to dig my heel into his leg slightly.

"So if sixty years down the road you're bugging me I have full rights to compel you to act right?" I joked.

"Absolutely," he gave an exaggerated nod but then faded off into another dimpled smile. "Sixty years," he trailed off into a chuckle, "you're sure you want to spend that long with me?"

"Well it's a little too late to back out now isn't it?" I questioned, raising my eyebrow to him. "But yes, I'm sure," I grinned and pulled my feet back, turning so I was actually sitting correctly in the seat but then scooted over so I was right beside him. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you," I whispered and leaned up to place a soft kiss on his lips as he turned to face me before laying my head on his shoulder.

"You know, I know that but just to hear it makes it all the better," He murmured as he wrapped his arm around my back, showing that wonderful side that I only seemed to bring out and that made it all the better.

"Anything to make you happy," I mimicked his serious and teasing tone from before and just like I had done in response he poked me in the side slightly.

oOo

"Welcome home, Mrs. McCarty," Emmett smiled over to me and unable to help it I gave my own wide smile and as turned up the long dirt driveway. Scooting forward I looked to the house for the first time, taking in the red brick porch, green roof, and white siding. Esme had done amazingly well in getting the look I wanted in her refurbishing project. It was the ideal sort of farmhouse, even if there no longer was a farm related to it, just land.

As we pulled up to the front, I was barely able to contain my excitement as I moved out of the car and rushed around to stand at the foot of the stairs. "Hurry up," I urged Emmett as he leisurely stepped out and started towards me. Giving a laugh he hurried up beside me and making him keep pace, I took his hand and moved up onto the porch and into the home.

Inside was the perfect mixture of modern and old, with dark wooden floors and an open floor plan but the furnishings included some pieces that I could remember vaguely being in my original home in Chicago. Almost as if I had carried out life back then and was moving into a new home.

"Happy?" Emmett asked from the front door where I had left him.

"It's our house," I thrilled as I turned the corner from kitchen and into the hallway, facing him. "Ours," I smiled as I moved towards him.

Giving his own dimpled grin he simply took the last few steps between us and easily lifted me up, pulling me in for a kiss as I wrapped my arms and legs around him. "Ours," he repeated happily.


	16. Chapter 16

"Gen," He called from the bedroom and I slid my head up out of the water, wiping the bubbles from the eyes just as he walked into the bathroom. "I'm going to go feed before we go to the city tomorrow, do you want to come?"

"No, I'm fine," I smiled up at him as he leaned down. "But, could you pick up some envelops from the store, we ran out and I have pictures and letters I want to send to everyone.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few hours," he grinned and placed a soft kiss on my lips. That quickly turned to more though as he twisted his hand around to the back of my neck and pulled me up slightly. Grinning slightly against his lip I pressed for a more feverish kiss. "Maybe I'll stay and join you," he smirked as we pulled back slightly.

Letting out a small laugh, I pushed him away gently and settled back in the claw foot tub again. "Go, you need to hunt before we go, you're eyes are black."

"Alright, but when I get back you better not have a stich on," he pointed at me as he backed out the bathroom door.

"You better hurry then," I smirked and slipped a leg oh so casually above the water and layer of bubbles, getting a growl out of him as he walked away backwards until reaching the door where he just raced out. Giggling softly, I continued on with my bath as I thought over what we could do tomorrow. I loved the city and how it was so full of life. Since moving here a year and a half ago, we'd gone to the World's Fair, and a couple of Broadway shows along with the Time's Square celebration in between plenty of much needed repairs of our new house that just seemed to pop up overnight all the time, a broken lamp there, a dent in the wall here. Also we'd had plenty of calls and couple visits home, including Rose's and Noah's wedding which was like an affair that could have rivaled a royal wedding with the amount of tulle and rose's in the chapel. Now they were getting settled down in Oregon as Edward attended Yale with moaning about the fact that he couldn't go to war because of obvious reasons and had to carry around a note stating that he had asthma. Then there were Carlisle and Esme who were enjoying some time alone in Wisconsin, but with a house big enough for all of us.

Only after the water had turned icy cold did I resurface and step out to notice that it was dark. Pulling on my robe, I glanced into the bedroom and looked to the clock which said it was twelve o'clock and I distinctly remembered that I had noticed that it was 8 when Emmett had left. Biting my lip, I moved down stairs, contemplating heading out and looking for him but it wouldn't be the first time he had gotten caught up in a hunt. Usually he liked to play with his food, especially if he found a bear.

Instead I moved over to the large built in bookshelf in the living room and grabbed The Hobbit off the shelf. Recently I had gotten it along with other various books even though it was supposed to be a children's book, because it had gotten so many good reviews. Settling back on the couch, I began reading and as per normal was sucked into the book, just as I usually was with my painting, I hardly paid attention to anything until I got to the last page as the sun was coming up.

Now very worried, I moved back out onto the back porch and tried to pick up something, but all I could smell was the trail that was hours old. Deciding that I better go find out what he was doing, I raced back upstairs with a million things racing through my head. Not much could hurt a vampire except another or the wolves, but what if he had run into a Nomad or even another pack of those wolves that hadn't listened. With those new thoughts springing up in my mind, I pulled too hard on a button down blouse that I was putting up and the fabric just gave way, tearing right down the back. Groaning slightly, I tossed it on the floor and just grabbed one of Emmett's undershirts, pulling it on with one of my pairs of pants and grabbed a pair of boots. Hopping on one foot, I started out into the hall right as I heard a pair of feet racing towards the house. Racing down stairs with one boot on and the other in hand, I quickly moved out onto the front porch, where they were coming towards and watched Emmett step out of the tree line at the end of our long front drive.

Taking in a breath I could smell more, and I could see the dark red splotches on his shirt which I normally would comment on jokingly, but as he slowly started walking towards me I could tell something had happened. Quickly pulling on the other boot, I raced down the steps and started walking at a pace that was far faster than a human could go, though truthfully I didn't want to run because I was a little scared to find out what it was. Then as I got closer and closer to him, I started to realize the scent more and taking in a deep breath it connected in my mind and I stumbled slightly in my steady pace slowing more as he just stopped. Reaching up, I touched my hand to my mouth in an effort to stop some any noise that might want to leave at this time of doing so and just continued forward until I was right up in front of him and looking into his dark burgundy eyes.

I felt as if I was going to cry as I looked to him not because of what had happened but because of how pained he looked. "What happened?" I asked the only thing that came to my mind.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered out and quickly I shook my head and reached up, taking his face in my hands and brushing my thumbs over his cheeks. Taking my hands in his own he brought them down in front of us, and kept hold though didn't look at me, instead just focusing on the ground. "I was just getting ready to head into town and then the wind blew…it just smelled so strong…stronger than any blood that I have ever smelled."

"Emmett," I called his attention and thankfully he focused in on me but then quickly looked down again right after meeting my eyes. This was almost more worrying than when he had first woken up because while this wasn't the first time he had tasted human blood it was the first time that he had acted this broken up about it.

"I'm sorry, Gen. I just couldn't stop it," he murmured and I tightened my hold on his hands as I realized why exactly he was so broken up.

"It's alright," I whispered, "I'm not mad or disappointed." Finally I got him to look me in the eyes and I leaned up, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Just what did you do with the body? Do I need to…"

He just shook his head slightly, then murmured, "In the forest…animal attack."

"Okay," I grinned, "then it's easy. We'll just find someplace else, we can move to the west."

"But the city," He frowned and I gave a small smile, "I don't care about the city. I like the city, but it doesn't even compare to you, so we'll move west. We can find a place in Montana, then we'll hardly have to hide." Slowly, I watched his features light up slightly, however I could still see the pain from what he did. "Kiss me," I half demanded, wanting to see it gone.

"Yes, Ma'am," his smile grew slightly and he leaned in, placing a soft kiss on my lips.


	17. Chapter 17

"Gen, hurry up we need to get on the road," Emmett groaned as I grabbed the last polaroid off the wall from the collage and tucked it into the cedar chest which contained all the other pictures from our years together: from Carolina, to our first house in New York, over to Montana, finally down to Northern California and all the vacation spots in between.

"Well, it's your fault for not helping me sooner," I argued as I grabbed the handles on the side and shifted it under my arm before racing down the steps to a living room full of furniture covered in sheets. As I looked around it hurt more than it had with the other house, this was where we had spent the last five years, going to college and blending into society. It was the first place that actually felt like a home since getting married and now, with our age and how we weren't changing we were heading back to our parents again. Esme was getting a little lonely nest syndrome with all of us having been gone for ten years now with only occasional visits, even Edward who had been both in university and travelling.

"Hey," He broke me from my thoughts as he walked up behind me and took the chest. "Are you finally ready?" He asked with a small smirk and I turned to him, narrowing my eyes slightly.

"You," I jabbed a finger at his chest, "better get in a good attitude if I'm going to be stuck in a truck with you for a whole two days."

"What? I'm in a wonderful mood," he grinned and shrugged before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on my lips.

"Uh huh," I scoffed as I pulled back and grabbed my coat off the covered table. "I know you're not exactly looking forward to going back to a family unit."

"It's not that really," He shrugged as we moved out the door, "well I'm just not looking forward to no alone time."

"Yes, well I'm sure we can find some alone time," I smirked and walked up to him as he placed the chest in the back of the truck, covering it with the tarp.

"Really?" He grinned down at me and as if to prove my point I placed a hand on his chest, shoving him back against the trucks side hard enough that it made a dent. I watched as his eyes widened slightly in surprise as his grin grew into a wide smirk. Giving my own smirk, I moved right up against him as I slid my hands from his chest up and over his shoulders, around to his back.

"Really," I purred out and I watched the switch flip in his mind and his arms started forward. "But," I quickly moved away a couple steps before he could get them around me, "not right now because, as you said we need to get on the road."

Instantly his smile dropped and the mischievous eyes faded into disbelief. "You can't just do that," he exclaimed, motioning between us, "and then take it away."

"That's what you get for yelling at me," I huffed.

"I wasn't yelling," He scoffed, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"That is vampire yelling," I pointed and narrowed my eyes back at him before moving around to the truck door. Letting out a mixture between a sigh and a growl he moved after me and as soon as I was in the seat he slammed the door shut. "Don't break the truck!" I shouted and felt another pound on the back before he reemerged back on my side. Yanking open the door again, I just raised an eyebrow to him before he lunged forwards and pulled me into a kiss that would make a father blush.

Gasping in a breath of air, I moved to reach up and grabbed onto his curls when he was just gone. Instantly it clicked and I narrowed my eyes to him as he moved to walk back around to his side of the truck. Not giving in, I pursed my lips slightly and slowly turned back towards the front, slamming the door shut with a little more strength than necessary.

"Don't break the truck," I heard him mimic and gritted my teeth slightly as both anger and now desire welled up. Slipping into the other side, I wasn't even about to glance his way when he just reached over and I didn't even hesitate to flip around and straddle his lap as we pulled each other into a heated kiss.

"That sort of back fired on me," He murmured into the kiss and unable to help it, all my anger at him melted away as I let out a small laugh.

We drove through the day and into the next before arriving at our new home just outside of Titusville, Pennsylvania. For the past four months Carlisle and Esme had already been up here, Carlisle starting his new job at in the Titusville Area Hospital while she did some renovations on the house.

"Right here," I motioned to the turn off onto the gravel road that continued our path further into the trees and up into the woods where a three story house just suddenly popped up. It had numerous peaks, including a turret on the side and was painted a light brown with dark red trim. Before we even had a chance to fully pull to a stop in front of the large three car garage Esme was out of the house and onto the wraparound porch, before racing down the side steps.

"You're here," She gave a wide smile and pulled Emmett into a tight hug as soon as he got out of the truck.

"Hey, Mom," He chuckled and returned the hug before both pulled apart and she immediately came to me right as Carlisle and Edward started down the steps. She crushed me in a tight motherly hug which I only now realized I had missed in the six months that we hadn't seen each other. Giving a small giggle, I hugged back equally as tight and barely got a chance to break before I was pulled into an equally as tight hug from Carlisle, then I moved to Edward which was far less emotional because we had only seen each other a two months ago when he was visiting.

"You didn't take the best room did you?" I narrowed my eyes to him as we pulled back.

"The one with the best view yes, but I saved the best bathroom for you and Rosalie to fight over," He chuckled.

"Oh, you're such a good brother," I smiled as we all started unloading the things from the back.

"When are they getting here anyway?" Emmett asked.

"They said that they should be here by tonight," Carlisle answered as we stepped up and into the beautiful house, which like all of our houses had numerous windows though out, though Esme appeared to be experimenting slightly with light yellow and white on the walls but dark wood floors and furniture. It looked nice though, homey.

"It looks beautiful, Esme," I smiled to her as I continued in and looked though the flowing layout of the entry way, living room (which already had Edward's piano in the corner), dining, room, and kitchen like a large circle and the center being a staircase up.

"Thank you," She answered as I moved into the dining room with a three suitcases in hand and looked out the back windows to a large open lawn that had a small lake and then beyond that the wall of trees started again. It really was the perfect place for a vampire family. Happily I took a step back and moved with the rest of them up to the bedroom that Esme knew oh so well I would choose with the largest bathroom that had a large walk in closet connected.

Soon enough we had the truck unloaded and I started moving around to unpack our room when a hand reached out and grabbed me around the waist to stop my rushing around. Grinning, I spun around and wrapped my arms around Emmett's neck. "Happy to be back?" He whispered.

"Yes. Are you?" I asked because while he might have had reservations about moving into a crowded house again I could see he was also happy to be back and he confirmed that with a nod. "Good," I smirked and leaned up for a kiss. Complying, he closed the distance before stepping back the short distance to the bed where he sat down, bringing me with him. Straddling his hips, I tightened my hold around his neck as he tightened his hold around my waist right as there was a loud groan from the floor above where Edward was still organizing his music collection.

"Just wait until Rosalie and Noah get here," I called up to him and right on cue he let out another groan as both Emmett and I let out a laugh.


	18. Chapter 18

Licking over my lips, I calculated the four combined chess boards that were sitting in between Rosalie and me before making my move and taking her second queen side rook in our complicated chess game right as I heard someone coming towards us. Actually it was two people, and based on the lope and weight of the steps I could tell that it wasn't Noah, Emmett, or Edward, all of which were out hunting right now.

By the pause she made in moving one of her knights, I could tell that she had heard it too, along with Carlisle and Esme who had been up in their shared study and were now completely still. Both of us stood up and moved around to the staircase as they moved down and ahead of us. Exiting first, Carlisle stepped out onto the porch with the three of us following behind.

We weren't standing there for more than two minutes before two people came skidding out of the trees. One of a black haired girl, or at least she looked like a girl by her height and petite features. Even the gait of her hopping steps and the wide smile contributed to the thoughts but she held herself like a woman, and the short haircut helped to prove that.

"Hello." She greeted all of us with a wide smile as she skipped forward, eliminating any thought that this could possibly be a threat. "My name is Alice, and this is my partner, Jasper."

It was then that I turned my gaze to the blonde male behind her, who was almost a complete opposite in looks. Had this man been the one to step out first I wouldn't have been as relaxed as I was now. Where she was small and relatively carefree in the way she was standing in front of us, he was stiff, straight backed as we looked to him, though I didn't see what he had to be so tense about. We were the ones that should be tense based on the scars that covered his exposed arms and neck. But, as I looked to their topaz eyes I tried to calm that small instinct to go on guard.

"Jasper, this is Carlisle, Esme, Genevieve, and Rosalie," She continued and my eyes flew back to her as she continued smiling, but it turned slightly knowing. "The others, Edward, Emmett, and Noah are out hunting."

"How do you know us?" I asked curiously and with a small bit of edge that the man reacted to slightly, moving a small bit more towards her.

"I can see things…the future," She answered easily. "And I saw that you were like us. We would like to join you, if you would take us into your family."

She looked to Carlisle specifically, keeping a small smile as if already knowing and based on what she had just told us I would assume that she had. "Why don't we go inside and talk about this?" Esme offered and with a quick nod and smile she reached back and took Jasper's hand before skipping up the porch. Lagging behind, Rosalie and I followed them, me more curiously while she carried that normal bought of skepticism of the newcomers; getting protective when it came to the family and showing that little insight into her warm heart.

Moving in to sit around the dining room table, or I guess you could say the four of us sat on one side of the large oval table while they settled on the opposite side. "I guess I should explain myself," Alice grinned and Rose let out a small scoff from beside. "Well as you can see we're vegetarian just like all of you. I always have been. I saw you, Esme, Edward, and Genevieve living the same way, it was one of my first visions and I just knew that I needed to find you all after finding Jasper." She explained to Carlisle and he opened his mouth minutely, almost as if to say something but her words cut him off. "I've been having visions of your family periodically since then."

Carlisle closed his mouth and I realized that she probably had seen this whole conversation most likely and knew the outcome already. "But why us?" I asked.

"We want to be part of a family, not a coven. Traditional covens are normally surrounded by death and fighting, and we've both seen what that can do." she answered and I knew that at that point she had Esme but the slight sigh in the back of her throat.

"Evidentially," Rosalie muttered and looked specifically to the scar covered male.

"Rosalie," Carlisle admonished and with an eye roll she leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms. "I'm sorry," He spoke to Jasper, "but if you don't mind me asking."

"I was turned during the Southern Wars," He answered after a look and nod from Alice. "I have a gift of being able to manipulate the emotions of a person and the leader Maria put it to use. I was charged with destroying the newborns after their first year." I saw the guilt on his face but it was quickly replaced with a bit of hope as Alice took his hand. "I escaped and lived with a few friends who had also escaped before me but I could still feel the emotions of the people we fed from so I left them as well."

"Then I came in," Alice chipped happily and he got a small smile and gave a nod. "I had been waiting in a diner on the edge of St. Paul every year for two months, waiting for my first vision to come true and in he came. Then it was time to meet you all, but you've all been moving around so much that it took two years before I could pin down a place and finally here we are."

"Well…I would have to ask the rest of the family," Carlisle spoke after a small pause, meaning that he had already decided that is was fine. Looking over to Esme and asking the silent question. Immediately she gave a nod, accepting them and they all looked over to us.

"I don't care. Do what you want to do," Rosalie gave a huff and got up, walking out to the garage which was as good as it was going to get, but still the possibility of a total freeze out from her was likely at least until she got to know them.

"I'd ben happy to have you guys here and we all know that Emmett and Noah won't really care," I shrugged. "Edward might act a little crabby for a few days…"

"He will," Alice chimed in and I let out a small laugh.

"Well alright then," Carlisle smiled. "I'm assuming that you'll want to stay in a room together, so we just have to…"

"I already have one in mind," She grinned, "if I may?" She didn't wait for an answer and took off up the stairs.

"Alice," Jasper whispered with a slightly grimace, and I just gave a small smile liking her better and better as I listened to the footsteps head into the room with the best view.

"A little crabby," I nodded in agreement as to why Edward would be and I heard her start moving things around. "I'm liking her better and better," I smiled to Jasper and he gave a hesitant one back before I stood up looking at Carlisle and Esme. "And I'll go talk to Rosalie," I whispered and got a thankful nod back from both before I started out.

As I stepped out, she was already looking under the hood of her Chevy convertible tinkering around. "They are good people," I voiced as I leaned back against Emmett's Truck parked beside.

"How do you know that?" She scoffed and without looking reached over and grabbed a wrench from the large tool box pushed up beside. "They're just strangers and we're allowing them into our house, not just to visit but to live here!"

"You heard them, Rosalie. You can see their eyes," I defended softly. "Why would they search us out for so long if they weren't sincere?"

"I don't know," She muttered. "But it's weird, just showing up here and expecting to join the family."

"Then why didn't you say anything?" I gave a half laugh.

"Because I was hoping to avoid a talk like this," She fired back and giving a small smirk, I just shrugged.

"Well, Edward will see if they have any hidden motives when he gets back," I tried to tide her over, "until then just be nice." At that I got a particularly frosty glare. I just gave another shrug as the garage door opened and both Alice and Esme stepped out, although a little hesitantly, with two boxes each of what I could only guess with Edward's things.

"You know Rosalie, I saw that exact outfit in this month's Vogue," Alice spoke after setting her boxes down and Rose turned to her expectantly, as if daring her. "Though I have to say it looks ten times better on you. You're hair color works excellently with the aubergine trim. It makes it pop so much more than the brunette model did and her body just didn't do it justice."

I restrained the smile at the oh so obvious attempt at winning over my sister, but it worked excellently because almost instantly the daring glare faded into a poorly hidden flattered smile. "Thank you," she muttered out before turning back to the car.

"I'll come help you guys," I spoke and skipped up to Esme's side as we all started back into the house to help Alice move Edward out of his room. Soon enough Rosalie also joined a bit amazingly, though any chance that she had to piss off Edward was a good reason to move to her, while Jasper stayed down stairs with Carlisle talking about his past a little more. Before the clock struck five, when Alice said the boys would be home, we had all of his things packed away neatly in the garage, their few things moved in and were gathered on the couch in the living room.

"It's quite amazing, your gifts are fairly similar in their design," Carlisle smiled, his curiosity having gotten the best of him after Jasper spoke went into more detail about his gift. "I mean, they're both very subtle in the way they work, just as Gen implants a simple thought, depending on her state, you can implant an emotion."

Just then the sound of three pairs of feet came racing in from the back, but just as they were about to enter the one pair, I could tell was Edward, stopped and flew around to the garage. Casting Rosalie a look, she just gave a small smirk as the door flew open.

"Why is all my stuff in the garage?" He shouted.

"Because you room had the best view!" Alice called back and at the same time, Noah and Emmett emerged on one side of the room as Edward raced in on the other.

"What?" He questioned, looking to the strangers.

"Boys, this is Alice and Jasper," Carlisle spoke as he stood up and moved up to them.

"Hello," Alice hopped up, pulling Jasper with her. "It's nice to meet you all finally, especially you, Edward," she basically leapt forward and pulled him into a hug. Confused, he just looked past her and to the four of us as Esme, Rosalie, and I stood up.

"Finally?" He questioned and she pulled back but still looked at him and I could see his eyes light up slightly and knew that he was hearing something. "Really?" The one sided conversation started and he flipped his eyes to Jasper who looked just as confused as all us along with a little hesitant now, too.

"Umm…excuse me," Noah voiced after a few moment of silence. "There are those of us that can't read minds."

"Right," she beamed and turned to each of them. "I can see the future."

"Boys, Alice and Jasper are going to be living with us," Esme explained softly. "And Edward the spare bedroom is a bit small for two people." He rolled his eyes in annoyance but seemed to accept it and I gave a small smirk.

"Do you have anything?" Emmett asked Jasper. "A talent?"

"I can change people's emotions," he answered a little hesitantly.

"So you can't cheat?" He got a small smile.

"I can't help it, Em?" Edward sighed. "It's not cheating, Gen does perfectly fine."

"Cheat?" Jasper questioned.

"Emmett isn't very good at hiding his chess or wrestling moves," I explained as I took the couple steps to his side, poking him in the chest as he gave me a faux glare.

"Well, no I don't imagine I can use it like that," Jasper responded giving a small smile and Alice's only grew wider at that because it also meant that Emmett had already accepted him and that only left Noah.

He looked to Rosalie, and just giving a sigh she shrugged and sat back down, giving her acceptance once again. "I guess we'll have to test it," He voiced his approval and Alice gave a sound between a squeal and cheer as she clapped happily.


	19. Chapter 19- Final Chapter

_Well this is the end of the sort of Pre-Twilight Saga story. I've started the Twilight section, but let me know if you want it or would just like me to end it here._

_Thank you to all that have faithfully followed this story and reviewed. You have no idea how much it means to me._

oOo

I had a family and a large family at that, and Alice and Jasper only added to that. Alice was the little sister that you always kind of imagine wanting. She had annoying moments, a lot of them but she was fun, loving, and just perfect in her own way. She could make you smile on your darkest days and in this house with every single one of us having had a dark cloud in our past we needed that. It was amazing too because she had a dark cloud hanging over her head too, and she didn't get the opportunity to even try to get over it, because she couldn't remember anything before waking up into this life. She fit in perfectly with the family, even bonding with Rose pretty easily and finally giving Edward someone to bond with because of their gifts.

At first I had been a little jealous over that; their sort of connection which they built over silent conversations which annoyed us all, but I got over it because he did need someone like that. Someone to relate to on that level because, my gift, it was something I could control. I could block it out for the rest of my life but neither Edward nor Alice could do that, it was basically forced on them.

Then there Jasper who didn't exactly fit in with the family as easily; he was hesitant but followed Alice. He trusted her and stayed, pushing past all his preconceived notions of other vampires. We couldn't blame his hesitance though; he hadn't had a very good sampling. He was cautious of talking fully about his gift because he had been used in the past, and when the time came he didn't exactly want to join school but not for the reason the rest of us didn't but because of his self-control. That just seemed to embarrass him even more and closed him off even more. Slowly though you could see him loosening up; talking more to each of us, actually wrestling with Emmett, Noah, and Edward, then just one day we all seamlessly fit together. No longer did he shy away from Rosalie's glares but shrugged them off with the rest of us, he participated in the sibling squabbles that occasionally broke out, and he shied away from Esme's shouts when a table or lamp got broken or he tracked mud into the house with the other boys.

It was only three years later in a small town near Washington DC that we had our fourth family wedding which was far simpler than what even I had, with a simple white dress and Jasper in a suit at the courthouse with all of us around them. There Alice Cullen because Alice Whitlock.

That had been thirty years ago with the first ten being filled with more moves than usual because of Jasper's self-control, a couple times involving me having to restrain him much to Alice's displeasure because he tended to hate himself even more when I had to do it, but as we went hunting more his control built. Through those thirty years we, as a family, hardly spent more than four years apart as separate families even though that meant more school which even Alice got tired of. And that's what we were all coming back from that wonderful summer day.

"Family trip!" Emmett shouted as we finally arrived, at ten at night, in front of the large house Carlisle and Esme had been living in for the past three years, though they weren't here, they hadn't been for the past five months.

"Finally," Edward commented and he moved out on the porch, "you guys are late."

"We got sidetracked in Oregon," Emmett smirked and I watched the grimace come to Edward's face and quickly reached over and punched Emmett in the shoulder.

"Because you wanted to see the largest pumpkin," I filled in the others as they walked out, Rosalie already with her large bag in hand.

"The World's Largest Pumpkin?" Noah laughed as he stepped out behind Jasper who was also chuckling.

"Yes!" He answered, "have you seen that thing? It's huge," He spoke and shaking my head I just moved up on the porch, hugging Edward.

"Yes, yes," Rosalie rushed it along depositing her bag on the steps and rushing towards the truck, "we can all laugh and say hello on the way to the airport. Let's goooo."

Shaking my head, we all started unpacking the back, just placing the things inside the door for when we got back but leaving the two suitcases I had packed for Emmett and I in the back. Then we all set off for the airport. By an hour before the flight we all had our bags checked, and we were all sitting in the seats waiting for our flight.

With all of us falling into our human personas I sat curled up on the seat, leaning my head on Emmett's shoulder pretending to rest since it was late for humans as he read. One my other side Edward did the same, and across from us, both Jazz and Noah played a game of cards.

"Here ya go," Alice said as a magazine landed in my lap, both she and Rose back from the shop nearby. Leaning up, I started flipping through the gossip magazine whice I read at a human pace, filling most of the time before we were allowed to board and take our first class seats. Having not actually seen him in about four months, I sat down in the seat beside Edward.

"Want to see something I've been working on?" I smiled and with a nod from him, I reached into my large purse and pulled out my thick sketch book which I had bound myself. Giving a small smile, I handed it over and watched as he flipped through the pages of our life from my first blurry memory of our first family up to my last drawing which was a sort of collage of all our graduations; my latest graduation from Yale with a bachelors in comparative literature; his from Harvard for internal medicine; both Rosalie and Noah's graduations from Princeton, her with a degree in Astrophysics and him with a degree in anthropology; Alice with a degree in fashion design from Parsons, and Jasper from NYU with a degree in History. The only one that hadn't gotten some specific degree was Emmett and that was because he never could focus on a subject long enough to actually get one, though he was beside me in the drawing.

"That one is mostly for Esme and Carlisle since they were a little busy," I chuckled.

"She called me feeling so guilty," He answered with his own laugh. "I told her that she had been there for every other one and would be fore many more so missing one graduation was fine." Reaching over, I flipped back to the first time we had graduated high school after Esme had joined us. It was like a picture in my head never to be worn away by the years but I don't think even with that and years of experience in the arts that I managed to capture just how proud she looked on that day. Giving a small nod and half smile he looked over the picture and then back to my first in the book where I wasn't exactly able to capture with the amount of crispness because it wasn't a clear memory but it was a family portrait.

"Wasn't that one your birthday?" I asked and he gave a sad nod.

"Seventeeth." Looking over it once again it was weird to try and relate those two identical people in the sketch to us, sitting here in modern clothing on an airplane with whole lifetimes behind us and probably catching my thoughts he flipped to the back again. "It is weird," he murmured, "but this is nice," he complimented.

"Hey!" Alice called and both of us looked up right as the flash of a camera went off.

"Really, Alice?" he questioned and she gave an enthusiastic nod as she flipped the camera on a lovey dovey Rosalie and Noah across the way and then Emmett sitting behind them who stuck his tongue out, prepared for the picture.

"Do none of you realize that this is our first true family vacation," She thrilled.

"I said that back at the house," Emmett defended.

"Miss," the attendant spoke, "I'm afraid you're going to have to sit down now."

"Right," Alice flipped around and settled into her seat as we all restrained smiles, "sorry."

With a smile she turned around and started back up to the intercom. "Welcome everyone to Flight 288 to Chicago O'Hare."

"Then onto Rio," Alice whispered excitedly.

oOo

We had landed according to plan with the sun having set about two hours ago and as we filed into the spacious van that Carlisle had arranged and we drove into the city it was alive with nightlife. Smiling, I listened as music and laughter filled my senses and looked over to the others.

"Pull over, please," I called to the driver in Portuguese and with the agreement that he would take our bags to the docks we all set out into the lively streets. Grinning, I linked my hand with Emmett as I looked around to different stalls with the rhythmic music filling the area. Moving into the thick of it I smiled up to Emmett, who was giving his own smile as he shifted our hands and spun me into a loose dance as we danced to the beat. Pulling me closer, he dipped down and pressed his lips to mine and I gladly returned it before pulling apart and we all continued down the street, heading towards the water. Every once in a while we would stop at a stall, looking over the different knick-knacks or Alice would snap a picture but mostly we just focused on being the young adults we looked to be, even a stiff Jasper was loosened up with his stomach full from feeding last night.

Alice was true in saying that we had never done this before. I mean we had gone on sort of vacations up to Denali or into a city for a bit, and in smaller groups we had gone to amusement parks or even Rosalie, Noah, Emmett and I had gone to Disneyland once, but as a whole we hadn't gone on a true vacation like this.

After two hours of wondering the streets we made to the docks and filed past the array of yachts until getting to a speedboat with our bags in hand. Hopping in, I settled in the front sitting area with Alice and Rosalie, staying out of the fight of who would get to drive and finally we set off with Jasper at the wheel as we raced into the open water and then darkness after Jasper pulled a couple doughnuts.

Twenty minutes later we all saw it rising on the horizon, Isle Esme, Carlisle's Anniversary gift to her this year. There was a small pinprick of light that illuminated the sandy white beach along with the help of the moonlight but otherwise it looked to be covered in trees. "This is amazing," Rosalie fawned along with the rest of us because it truly was.

While we had always had our own escape in the form of a home, this was our own island to purely be ourselves on.

oOo

It was so weird to be outside in the broad daylight, the sun glinting off my skin and even warming it slightly or at least it felt that way.

"You're very happy today," Emmett whispered as I hopped up on his back while we made our way up to the waterfall that Carlisle had told us about. All of us kids were headed up there while Carlisle and Esme continued to have fun on their own. The discussion last night and hunting trip early this morning seemed to be enough to tide her motherly instincts and we were set loose.

"I feel free," I whispered back, pressing a kiss to his cheek right as the rush of water started to sound and we hurried our pace, well Emmett hurried my pace, keeping a firm grip on the back of my bare thighs. Stepping up at the edge, I dropped onto the ground as Noah immediately leapt and was closely followed by Edward. Quickly, I started peeling off my jean shorts and sandals along with Alice as Jasper and Emmett jumped so we were only in our bikinis and after exchanging a look I leapt and flipped through the air before landing with a purposefully large splash. Doing the same thing, Alice followed leaving only Rose at the top of the waterfall.

"Come on, Babe!" Noah shouted.

"I don't want to get my hair wet!" she called back.

"It will dry!" He argued as she struck her signature pose of hands on hips and a glare. "I'll throw you over if you don't!"

"You wouldn't dare!" She shot back and giving a slightly mischievous look to Emmett they both slowly started over to the side.

"Rosalie Hale McCarty, get your butt down here!" I shouted, providing a diversion.

"No!" She huffed.

"Come on, Rose," Alice joined in. "It's nice."

"My hair looks perfect today!"

"No one is going to see it but us," Edward shot back with a laugh.

"Where are Noah and Emm-" She didn't get to finish as both, by the sound of it, raced up behind her and before she could shout at them she was flying through the air. All of us quickly swam back from the flailing arms and the splash that was soon joined by two more. Sputtering and flipping her hair back she swerved around and searched for Noah who came up only a few moments later. "You are going to regret that," She huffed and surged towards him and giving a laugh he dove back down and right before she went back under the water she gave her own small smile.

Right then I felt a hand grab onto my ankle and letting out a small yelp I surrendered and moved under the water, looking towards the smiling face of Emmett. Reaching out, I wrapped my arms around his neck as his hands moved to my waist and pulled me in for a kiss.

oOo

After jumping a few more times and swimming around we headed back down to the house to find Esme and Carlisle relaxing back on the beach. Moving over, we joined them, the guys immediately talked Carlisle into a race in the ocean which Alice officiated (though by the chuckle I could tell she already knew the winner) while Rosalie moved into the house to brush out her hair.

Moving over the line of chaise loungers I sat down on the end of the one beside Esme, and like a wrecking ball it hit me. I felt that if I could cry I would be sobbing as I looked out to it all. "Is everything alright sweetie?" Esme asked in concern and I gave a small nod.

"I'm just thankful," I answered. "When I was making that book I realized that I thought it was going to end far before this. Then when I realized that I was going to live I didn't know what I had to live for. I mean of course there was Edward and Carlisle, but for me. I felt like I was going round and round with no sense of purpose, but this family and especially Emmett showed me what this life was for." I broke off in a whisper as I looked to the all of them wrestling around with Alice and Carlisle jogging off to the side.

"Awe, sweetheart," Esme cooed and lunged forward pulling me into a tight hug. Giving a small laugh, I returned it as Rose moved back out here.

"What are they doing?" She muttered in confusion and we pulled apart and looked to them continuing to fool around before the guys started back over to us. Knowing what was coming I just let out another laugh as Emmett stooped down and picked me up, carrying me into the water so he was to his knees. But while the shouts of Alice, Rose, and Esme echoed around from them being tossed in the water he didn't throw me.

"Everything alright?" he murmured and let go of my legs, but kept hold around my waist. Giving a nod, I wound my legs around him as I looped my arms around his neck, lacing my fingers up into his curly locks.

"Thank you for giving me a reason to live again," I whispered and his concerned looked turned to a wide smile.

"Thank you for letting me," He murmured as I closed the distance between us, placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Oh come on," Edward groaned and before either of us could look he plowed into us, and sent us both into the water. Sputtering, I looked to his cocky smile and instantly jumped to my feet, racing after him as he took off in a run.

"Get back here little brother!"


End file.
